Victoria Base Affair Extended Edition
by MomsDarkSecret
Summary: Treize Kushranada and Zechs Merquise are cadets at the Victoria Base Academy. Drawn together by a mutual attraction, they embark on a secret affair that lasts into their service in the Alliance Military. Rewrite, see details inside. COMPLETED.
1. The First Meeting

**Disclaimer**: This is an original work of fiction, but the characters of Treize Kushranada and Zechs Merquise are borrowed from Gundam Wing AC by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sunrise. Other Gundam Wing characters, like Lucretzia Noin, who might appear or be mentioned are also borrowed from Gundam Wing by Yatate-sama and Tomino-sama.

**Summary**: Treize Kushranada and Zechs Merquise are cadets at the Victoria Base Academy, training to join the Earth Sphere Alliance Military when they meet. Drawn together by a mutual, overwhelming attraction, they embark on a secret affair that lasts through their academy days and into their service in the Alliance Military.

**Warnings**: This story contains strong sexual content of a homosexual nature. (Although, honestly, that doesn't kick in until chapter 5. See the Addendum below.)

**Addendum**: I wrote the original story Victoria Base Affair last year and my daughter posted it for me under that title. As it was written, VBA always felt a little rushed to me, probably because it was my first ever fan fiction story and I wanted to finish it. Now that I am a little more experienced as a fan fiction writer, I decided to redo the story. So, this is the extended edition version of Victoria Base Affair, containing more details and more sex.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Chapter 1: **The First Meeting**

Treize pulled off his helmet with a long sigh. It had been a rough training session, but not because he lacked the skill to meet the challenges presented. He pushed the button to open the cockpit door and stared across at Orlan Coulson's mobile suit. The scars of laser fire marked the front and side of the suit and smoke curled up from the dangling left arm. Treize sighed again and climbed out of his cockpit. As he let the cable elevator drop him to the ground, he could hear the instructor screaming at Orlan, her voice rising to thunderous volume as she berated him for allowing the suit to be damaged. That was always the risk of live fire training exercises using lasers. The potential for damage to the suits was much greater than when they trained with machine guns, although a poor student could take damage no matter what weapons were used. Treize felt a momentary twinge of sympathy for Orlan. This incident would probably set him back quite a bit. He might even be held back for another year. That would almost certainly wreck his future career in the military.

But there was nothing Treize could do about that now. He had done his best to protect Orlan when it became clear he was in over his head, but the results of the exercise had been inevitable. Treize fully expected to get an earful himself for not preventing the stupid mistake that had resulted in the damage to Orlan's suit, since he had been in charge of the team.

As Treize approached Orlan and the instructor, Tami Bell, Orlan looked as if he were near tears. Instructor Bell dismissed Orlan when Treize arrived and she started in on Treize, as he had expected. He took the rebuke without a word, knowing it was justified. When Tami finally wound to a halt, he lifted his chin and met her eye.

"I am sorry for my failure, Instructor Bell," he said. "I will review the recording of this training session tonight and write a detailed report explaining how I should have handled the situation."

Tami smiled. "You always know just what to say, Treize," she said with a laugh. "Very well, I will expect your report first thing tomorrow. I would also like you to recommend a remedial training plan for Orlan." She frowned at the young cadet, who was standing by his damaged mobile suit looking despondent. "I have to decide if he should be sent down."

Treize nodded. "Of course, Instructor." Treize felt sorry for Orlan, but not so sorry that he would not file an objective report. He tucked his helmet under his arm and started across the tarmac for the barracks. He was hungry, but what he really wanted was a shower and a moment of quiet.

As he cut between the freshman and sophomore barracks, heading for the quad and the senior barracks on the far side, a group of cadets came out of the freshman barracks, laughing and talking among themselves. Near the rear of the group was a young man, the sight of whom stopped Treize's breath in his throat. The young man was strikingly handsome, with deep blue eyes and long silver hair. His smile was intense and magnetic, lighting up his face and eyes. As they neared each other, the young man's eyes met Treize's, and Treize almost missed a step. The group parted to let Treize pass, but as he walked through them, the young man let his arm brush against Treize. Treize felt a small rush of pleasure at the contact, minor though it was.

As he continued across the quad, Treize couldn't help looking back, and found the young man looking back at him with a slight smile on his face. Treize smiled back before turning away. He drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. He had been careful since coming to the academy to avoid becoming involved with anyone, but for the first time, he found himself wondering if such strictness was really that important. Then he shook himself and forced his thoughts back to the day's lesson and the report he had to write that evening. This was no time to be daydreaming about a handsome youngster.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Who was that?" Zechs asked. He looked back again, hoping the handsome upperclassman would turn around again, but he didn't.

"You don't know Treize Kushrandada?" asked Les Javi in astonishment. "I thought everyone knew who Treize was. He's the best student at the academy. He'll be in charge of his own unit when he graduates, most likely."

"That's Treize?" Zechs looked back for a third time. "He's younger than I thought."

"And cuter?" Les teased. She laughed when Zechs blushed.

"I just hadn't seen him before, that's all."

Les kept laughing and Zechs fell silent. Zechs was unused to sharing his feelings with other people. He could always act like he was enjoying himself in a group, but there was always a part of himself that he held back. The destruction of his home and the death of his family had left too many scars. He preferred not to think about his past, because it was too painful.

Zechs thought about Treize again and the brief electrifying contact when they had brushed against each other. He'd never seen anyone so attractive. He wasn't quite sure what it was. The man was certainly very handsome; Zechs had always been partial to dark eyes with light hair. But there was more to it than that. There was something commanding about Treize that made you want to follow him. Zechs wondered what it would be like to fight beside him.

"Hurry up, Zechs!" Les called. "You're going to be late for class!"

Zechs looked up and discovered he'd lagged behind the rest of the group. He broke into a trot. Well, there was no point thinking about Treize Kushranada. He was a senior and Zechs was a freshman. They had nothing in common.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize turned in his report to Tami Bell first thing the following morning. He stood at attention in front of her desk while she reviewed it. Treize had become very annoyed with himself in the course of reviewing the recordings of the exercise and writing the report. Other mistakes, which he had not observed at the time, had been made, which was why the exercise had ended so disastrously. At the conclusion of his report, he not only recommended that Orlan be sent down, he also recommended that he and his entire team be required to perform the exercise again.

Tami finished reading the report and sat back. She regarded Treize with a look of fond respect. "You didn't miss one detail, Treize. I'm proud of you." She waved a hand toward the chair on the other side of her desk and Treize sat down. "I accept all of your recommendations. As usual, they are spot on. There might be repercussions, though. Orlan's family is prominent in the Romafeller Foundation."

Treize shrugged. "So am I. That doesn't worry me."

"Your position certainly gives you an advantage," Tami said. "It also makes it a little easier for me, since I am not a member of Romafeller. I can make the recommendation, based on your report, and let the Review Board send him down." She grinned. "The Board always enjoys the opportunity to set one noble family against another."

Treize smiled in return. "About repeating the exercise…"

"I'll have to schedule that. The live fire course is booked for the next few weeks for training exercises with the freshman class. That's always pretty exciting," she added with a chuckle. "I should be able to get you on after that."

"I haven't had the opportunity to watch the freshmen yet this year," Treize said. "Are any of them any good?"

"Yes, quite a few of them. We seem to have gotten a pretty good crop this year." Tami leaned forward and folded her arms on her desk. "In fact, there are a few I've been keeping my eye on. The young man who's currently first in their class is exceptionally gifted. His name is Zechs Merquise. He has the quickest reflexes of anyone I've ever seen. Apparently, his friends call him the Lightning Count, although that might be because he kept shorting out his mobile suit when he first started training, and not because of his speed." She laughed.

"Count? Is he a nobleman? I'm not familiar with the family name."

Tami's smile faded. "It's not his birth name," she said. "Zechs Merquise is from the Sanc Kingdom. His family died when the kingdom was destroyed and he changed his name."

"Oh."

"If you get a chance to watch him fight, I highly recommend it. He's quite remarkable."

"I'll do that, Instructor." Treize stood up. "I'll notify my teammates that we will be re-doing the exercise. I'll have them review the recordings with me so we can discuss how we will avoid making the same mistakes."

"Very good."

Treize left Tami Bell's office, intending to round up his teammates and head for an empty classroom, but a sudden thought made him hesitate. Although they were barely half way through the school year, the senior cadets were already looking ahead to the alumni games at the end of the year. The competition at the alumni games was the final opportunity for graduating cadets to demonstrate their abilities for the Academy instructors and the Review Board. The Review Board made the final recommendation for postings for all graduates, so a good showing at the alumni games was crucial.

Team captains for the games were always selected from among the top seniors and each captain was allowed to select and train his or her own team for the games. Treize knew he would be selected as a team captain, and while he had complete faith in his own abilities, it wouldn't hurt to have an unexpected advantage. A highly skilled freshman on the team would keep everyone guessing about what he planned to do in the games.

The instructors' offices were in the same building as the administrative offices. Treize walked down two floors to the Registrar's office.

"May I help you, Lord Kushranada?" the young secretary seated behind the counter asked as soon as he walked in.

It didn't surprise Treize that she knew who he was. He suspected she knew every student at the Academy. "Yes. I wanted to look at the records of one of the freshman cadets."

She frowned slightly. "Only instructors and members of the Review Board are allowed to look at student records," she said.

Treize smiled disarmingly. "I know, but I am not asking as a student. I am asking as a member of the Romafeller Foundation."

The young woman flushed. Although the Academy was not technically under the control of the Romafeller Foundation, everyone knew the Foundation had considerable influence over the Academy, just as it had influence within the Alliance Military. "Lord Kushranada," she said nervously, "I could get in trouble."

Treize leaned forward. "I will take the blame on my own authority," he said. He stepped around the counter.

Looking worried, the young woman moved aside and allowed Treize to take the seat in front of her console. Treize quickly typed in the name Zechs Merquise. He stared in surprise at the face that appeared next to the cadet's biography and the summary of his courses and current grades. The face was that of the striking young freshman he had seen the day before.

"Of course!" Treize whispered. "I should have known." Somehow, it seemed inevitable that the beautiful young man who had managed, however briefly, to disrupt Treize's normally unshakable reserve would be the talented Lightning Count. Then something in his biography caught Treize's eye. It was the young man's real name: Milliardo Peacecraft. Zechs Merquise was the son of the late ruler of the Sanc Kingdom. No wonder he had changed his name. The Peacecraft family had been devout pacifists. For a son of that family to be training as a soldier was an insult to his father's memory.

Treize stared at the screen thoughtfully. He would definitely have to watch the young man fight. If he was as good as Tami Bell implied, it would give Treize an excuse to invite him to join Treize's team for the alumni games, and Treize very much wanted an excuse to get to know Zechs Merquise.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Zechs loved fencing class, if only because it was one of the few places where no one seemed unduly alarmed by his speed. The precision of fencing also provided him with a satisfying outlet for his natural desire to excel. He never held back in fencing class because he was limited only by the capabilities of his own body and he loved to push himself to his limits. Of course, that meant the only one who ever challenged him was their instructor. The other students didn't even come close.

Today they were training with straight swords, rather than foils. The weapons weren't edged or pointed, but they were heavy enough that a solid hit would leave a bruise. The students and the instructor were wearing padded jackets, thigh pads and fencing masks to protect themselves.

Zechs faced his opponent and presented his sword, holding it upright between his eyes. Then he swept it down to the right and fell into his stance. His opponent replicated the maneuver and then they both pointed their swords at each other. Zechs waited, allowing his opponent to attack first. At the other student's sudden lunge, Zechs stepped to the side, spun lightly on one foot and smacked the fellow across the back with the flat of his blade. The man stumbled and fell forward onto one knee. Zechs quickly stepped close and jammed the tip of his sword against the base of his opponent's skull. The student went still.

"Well done, Zechs," Instructor Colby applauded. He looked around at the other students. "Did you see how Zechs did that? He waited for his opponent to make a move and used his momentum against him. Now, I want you to divide into pairs and try it yourselves. Let Zito up, Zechs."

Zechs lowered his sword and stepped back. Zito climbed to his feet with a frown on his face.

"Let's try that again, ok? I'll go first," Zechs said.

Zito's frown faded. "All right."

When class ended, Zechs noticed for the first time that Treize Kushranada was leaning against the wall just inside the door, watching him. As Zechs pulled off his mask, Treize started toward him. "That was well done earlier," he remarked as he drew near.

Zechs tried to look nonchalant. "Zito started later in fencing class than the rest of us, he's still learning the techniques."

"That's not what I meant," Treize said. "It was very thoughtful of you to offer to attack first, so he could redeem himself after being humiliated. That is how you win a man's loyalty."

"Thank you." Zechs met Treize's eyes. _My god, he's beautiful,_ Zechs thought. With an effort, he pushed the thought away. The Academy was no place to start having those kinds of thoughts. "I have heard you are one of the best swordsmen at the Academy, Lord Kushranada. I would be honored to spar with you sometime."

"It would be my pleasure, Count," Treize answered. He inclined his head and turned to leave, but then he paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "I'll be picking a team of cadets to compete in the alumni games this year. I'll be watching you on the mobile suit course this week."

A shiver of excitement ran down Zechs' back. It was unusual and a tremendous honor for a freshman to be invited to compete in the alumni games. Being on a team with Treize Kushranada would be even more of an honor. Zechs couldn't help feeling excited, but he was honestly not sure if he was more excited by the thought of competing in the games or spending time in Treize Kushranada's company.

He turned to go to the locker room and found Les Javi waiting for him by the locker room door.

"What did Treize want?" she asked excitedly as Zechs reached her. "Upperclassmen like him don't talk to freshmen every day."

"He's going to watch the freshman training exercises this week."

"Really?!" Les squeaked. "Why?"

"I guess he heard that I'm pretty good."

Les grinned and punched his arm. "That's modest. You sure he just didn't want to see your pretty face again? He was staring at you pretty hard yesterday."

Zechs flushed. "I'm sure it has nothing to do with that," he said quickly, but his heart was racing. Was it possible that Treize was attracted to him? _Don't think about that!_ Zechs told himself sternly.

Les looped her arm through his. "Come on, let's get changed. If we hurry, we'll have a little time to relax before dinner."

"Sure."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize had a deliciously warm feeling running through his body. He had tried to keep his conversation casual when he spoke to Zechs after his fencing class, but it had been hard. His eyes kept straying along the firm, clean-shaven lines of Zechs' face and to his graceful, long-fingered hands. Even making an effort to keep his gaze fixed on Zechs' eyes was dangerous. He could lose himself in eyes that blue. But watching Zechs so closely, he saw the sudden glow of excitement and pride in his face at Treize's praise and subsequent invitation. Treize felt a corresponding rise of excitement in himself. Zechs was quite simply the most attractive man Treize had ever seen.

Watching him fence had only enhanced his attractiveness. Treize loved fencing. To his mind, it was the purest form of combat between men. Standing face to face with your opponent, looking him in the eye as you tried to skewer him with your sword, was the noblest kind of fighting that he could imagine. All true gentlemen should know how to fence, he believed. Watching Zechs filled him with a deep pleasure.

But as he left, he wondered what he was doing. Zechs might certainly be worthy of joining his team, but so were many others, most of them more senior. It was bound to cause talk. Treize thought about that as he walked to the mobile suit hanger. He would have to come up with a good reason for choosing Zechs, one that would keep people from questioning his choice. He entered the hanger deep in thought.

"Treize!"

Treize looked around and saw Lady Une waving at him from the open cockpit of her mobile suit. He waved back and walked toward her with a smile. Treize was fond of Une, even though she occasionally made him feel a little uncomfortable. Her feelings toward him seemed too intense sometimes. But she was a good pilot and had an uncanny ability to anticipate his moves in combat, and back him up just when he needed it most. Which was why, of course, he always made sure she was on another team during important combat training sessions. He did not want to learn to rely too heavily on her instincts.

He stopped at the foot of her mobile suit and looked up. "What's up?"

"I heard you're redoing the laser course."

"Yes. We made a shambles of it last time. I recommended that we do it again and Instructor Bell agreed."

"I also heard Orlan's being sent down."

Treize lifted an eyebrow. "It seems you're hearing a lot."

"It's all over campus." She sat down on the cockpit door with her feet dangling in the air. "That means your team's one man short. Do you want me to fill in?"

"Thanks, Une, but no. It will be good discipline for us to do it a man short. We were the ones who screwed it up, after all."

"You never screw up, Treize," Une said very seriously. "But you can't make up for everyone else's mistakes."

"But I should have anticipated them. It's a leader's responsibility to know the capabilities of his people." Treize smiled. "The re-training will be good for us, including me." He started away. "I'll talk to you later. I need to check my suit."

He didn't look back, but he knew Une was watching him walk away. What would she think if he knew what he was planning?


	2. The Attraction Grows

Chapter 2: **The Attraction Grows**

Treize decided the best way to alleviate suspicion about his sudden interest in the freshman class was to attend as many of the freshman live fire training exercises as his schedule allowed. Fortunately, live fire training was almost always in the afternoon and most of Treize's classes were in the morning. He managed to observe all but about a dozen of the freshman training sessions. He was not sorry to have missed a few of those.

"You were lucky you weren't here yesterday, Treize," Tami informed him with great amusement when he showed up one afternoon during the second week. "It's never good to see instructors break down in tears."

"It was that bad?"

"You'd have thought it was their first time out. One student actually shot himself in the foot."

Treize stared at her.

"I'm not kidding. He stumbled with his finger on the trigger and blew a whole in his right foot. He tripped one of his teammates on the way down."

"That's not good."

Tami shook her head and laughed. "You can say that again. I thought their instructor, Jody Neilson, was going to have a stroke. We were all laughing so hard we couldn't see, but we had to hold her back from running out onto the course and berating him right there on the spot, while the exercise was still going on."

Treize knew Jody and could easily envision her outrage. He couldn't help smiling. "I hope it didn't get any worse."

"No, but in one of the other sessions, both teams dug in and spent about twenty minutes firing at each other until they ran out of ammo."

"It was a draw?"

"Mostly, except one student decided she wasn't going to just sit there with nothing to shoot, so she ran across and tried clubbing one of her opponents into submission with the butt of her rifle."

Treize had to stifle a guffaw at the image this invoked. "Did she succeed?"

"I think she would have, but both instructors were so disgusted, they halted the session. Overall, it was a pretty bad day for the freshman class."

"Sounds like it. It also sounds like I got my request to use the course in just in time."

Tami nodded. "That you did. Several instructors are already talking about when they can get their students back on the course."

"Who's training today?" Treize tried to sound casual. "I kind of want to see that fellow you told me about: Zechs Merquise."

"You're in luck, then. Zechs' team fights today. They're in the second session."

"Oh, good." Treize glanced away to hide a shiver of excitement. No one was on the course yet, but the mobile suits for the students in the first session were already ranked along the edge of the course. The students themselves stood in two groups, receiving last minute instructions. From the animated gesturing of the instructors, they were no doubt being reminded of the previous day's disastrous contests.

"It looks like I have a few minutes," Treize said. "I'll be right back."

The viewing area for the training course was not too far from the mobile suit hangers. Treize entered the hanger where the mobile suits used by the freshmen were stored and strolled down between the parked suits. The hanger was nearly empty and Treize was a little surprised. He had expected the students for the second session to be here. When he finally found a suit with its cockpit open, Treize was not surprised to see Zechs kneeling on the lowered door, his upper body partly concealed as he leaned inside the access panel behind the door.

"Don't you trust the mechanics, Zechs?" Treize called.

Zechs sat back on his heels and smiled down at Treize. "I just like to take a look before I fight. If there's a mechanical failure, it's my butt out there, not the mechanic's."

"A man after my own heart," Treize replied. "I'm surprised more of your fellow students aren't in here doing the same."

Zechs shrugged. "They've gone to watch the first session." He wiped his hands on a rag and closed the access panel. "Most people think I'm too obsessive." He smiled as he spoke. He obviously didn't take the criticism seriously.

There was a service lift next to Zechs' suit, but it was lowered, indicating that Zechs had not used it to reach the cockpit. Treize smiled to himself. He often just climbed the side of his suit himself, too, rather than use the lift. Now he stepped onto the service lift and let it carry him up level with Zechs. "How does it look?"

"Pretty good." Zechs stood up, climbed into the cockpit and settled into the pilot seat. He flipped on the controls, watching the readouts as the suit went through its startup diagnostics. "I shouldn't have any problems."

Treize stepped onto the door and crowded into the cockpit beside Zechs, twisting so he could see the displays as well. His face was within inches of Zechs' and he could feel the soft rush of Zechs' breath on his cheek. He could also smell the aromatic scent of the cream Zechs had used to shave, although it did not quite mask the faint, musky scent of his skin. Treize experienced a sudden, heart-stopping surge of desire. He turned and looked into Zechs' eyes. Zechs went still and he stared back at Treize without blinking.

"You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen," Treize whispered. Zechs' lips parted soundlessly. "I wish I had never set eyes on you," Treize murmured, and he leaned close and touched his lips to Zechs'. The kiss sent a blaze of heat through Treize's body and he closed his eyes. His lips parted and he felt Zechs' tongue brush against his. He leaned closer, letting the kiss grow deeper as desire flooded him. Zechs kissed him back, his long hair brushing against Treize's face.

Treize wanted the kiss to last forever. It filled him with a longing like nothing he had ever known. Zechs did nothing to stop him; he did not resist at all. Only the growing ache of his need made Treize realize what was happening. It took all of his strength and will power to pull himself away, to draw his mouth away from Zechs'. He stared at Zechs, fighting the urge to kiss him again.

"We can't do this," Treize whispered. "Fraternization between upper and lower classmen is forbidden."

"I know," Zechs answered, his face flushed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It wasn't your fault," Treize interrupted. He stepped back, moving outside the cockpit. "I should know better." He stepped onto the lift and turned to look at Zechs as he exited the cockpit behind Treize. "Let's agree not to speak of it. Nothing else has changed. I still mean to consider you for my team for the alumni games."

Zechs appeared both surprised and relieved. "Thank you, Lord Kushranada. I promise I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't," Treize answered. "We'll speak again after the exercise." He thumbed the switch and looked down as the lift dropped him back to the main floor.

-o-o-o-o-

Zechs was glad he had the upcoming training exercise to focus his attention and take his mind off of what had just happened between him and Treize Kushranada. Zechs was accustomed to people being attracted to him. He knew his appearance and manner were appealing, but he had never expected to draw the attention of someone as important as the young Duke of Luxembourg. Since the fall of the Sanc Kingdom, Zechs' title was more honor than substance. He had little of the wealth and power enjoyed by nobles of healthy nations. The fact that he choose not to go by his given name was taken by many of those who knew his real identity as an admission of shame. But it was not that. Becoming a soldier was against the teachings of his father and the tenets by which he was raised. Zechs refused to sully his family's great name when the time came for him to fight and kill in the name of duty.

So Zechs focused his attention on the job ahead and tried to push all thoughts of Treize and that thrilling kiss out of his mind. Treize was right, anyway. Fraternization was against Academy policy, especially between upper and lower classmen. Violating that rule could get them both kicked out.

His equipment check complete, Zechs decided to observe the first combat session with the rest of his team. It never hurt to see what techniques other people used in combat situations. He found his teammates clustered on top of one of the storage sheds. The view wasn't quite as good as what one had from the viewing area adjacent to the training course, but it would do. Zechs couldn't help gazing toward the viewing area, however. Treize was there, along with several instructors and a few other upperclassmen.

_Why did he kiss me?_ Zechs wondered. He could still taste Treize on his lips, and if he closed his eyes, he could still smell Treize's subtle, masculine odor. His body grew warm in response, and it had nothing to do with the sun overhead. That kiss had aroused Zechs more than he wanted to admit. He had not been involved with anyone for a long time and he was unused to dealing with this kind of attraction. He dragged his eyes away from Treize and back to the training course in front of him. The first session was about to get underway.

"Who do you think will win, Zechs?" Les asked. She shielded her eyes with one hand, balancing excitedly on the balls of her feet. Les loved combat, whether she was in it or watching it.

"Red Team," Zechs replied offhandedly.

"Really?" Les turned to him in surprise. "How come?"

"Because Juno Cain is in charge of Blue Team and she's so overconfident, she'll make a stupid mistake. Kirby LeGrange on Red Team knows that and he'll take advantage of her. Just watch."

Each of the training sessions was essentially the same. The Red Team was assigned to protect a concrete bunker simulating a command headquarters. The Blue Team was supposed to take the bunker. If the Blue Team succeeded in inflicting significant damage on the bunker, they won. If the Red Team disabled all the Blue Team members before this happened, they won. Of course, the students were not graded solely on whether or not their team won. The Red Team was also graded on their defensive plan and the Blue Team on their assault plan.

Each team consisted of five students piloting Leo mobile suits armed with a single large-caliber machine gun. The ammunition was designed to not impart significant damage to the mobile suits, but it could disable them if the right spots were targeted. Of course, suits were always getting damaged during live fire exercises, but you didn't want to be the pilot of a suit that had to be carted back to the hanger.

As the Red Team formed their perimeter and the Blue Team moved into position, Les Javi began bouncing up and down on her toes.

"I hope this goes better than the ones yesterday," Les said. "I want to see a good fight."

"You'll be in one later this afternoon, Les!" Corbin Dowl, one of their teammates, said with a laugh. "Have a little patience!"

The starting horn sounded and the Blue Team moved in, rifles blazing. The Red Team fired back. The Blue Team formed a wedge and began advancing on the bunker. The Red Team pulled together, presenting a solid line of defense.

"Why doesn't Blue Team spread out?" Les demanded. "What do they think they're doing?"

"Oh, I'm sure Juno has some clever idea she's about to execute," Zechs replied.

A moment later, two of the Blue Force flankers broke off and dashed to either side, clearly intending to try to end-run the Red Force defensive line. Within a half-dozen strides, however, it was obvious they had made their break too soon and they were too far away. Without moving, the Red Team members on either end turned to fire on them, while the others continued to fire toward the remaining Blue Team members in the middle. The central Blue Team member, who was taking the brunt of the firing, went down, followed a moment later by one of the two flankers. The other three did not last long after that.

The ending horn sounded and the Red Team ceased fire.

"You called that one, Zechs," Les said.

Zechs chuckled. "Yeah. I expect Juno won't sleep with a guy the night before she's about to fight him next time."

Les' eyes went round. "No way!"

Zechs nodded and grinned. "Kirby's room is next to mine. I was coming back from the restroom when she came out this morning."

"That was pretty stupid."

"I said she'd make a stupid mistake. I didn't say it would be during the fight." Zechs walked to the edge of the roof. "We'd better get going. Instructor Jandy will want to brief us before our fight." He hopped to the ground. The rest of his team followed.

Instructor Carl Jandy did indeed want to brief them before the fight. "The freshman class is looking pretty bad right now," he growled. "Yesterday's fights were complete disasters, and that one just now left something of a bitter taste. I expect a lot better from you." He fixed his eyes on Zechs. "You're Blue Team leader, Zechs. Make me proud."

Zechs saluted sharply. "Mount up, boys and girls!" Once everyone was sealed into their suits, Zechs moved them into formation. Each instructor had his or her own techniques and tricks that they imparted to their students and Zechs always found these simulated combats instructive on a variety of levels.

The Red Team moved into position around the bunker, their guns leveled at Zechs' team.

Zechs thumbed on his radio. "All right, Blue Team, let's see how quickly we can reduce that command post to rubble," he commanded. "Blue 2 and 3, break left and come in with the sun behind you. Blue 4, go straight in and cut left to draw their fire. Blue 5, you and I will start to circle around to the right to get behind them. We should draw at least two defenders. Once we get them looking in different directions, we'll get an opening."

A chorus of "Right, Blue 1" and "Roger that, Blue 1" chirped out of the speaker, and then they fell silent, waiting for the starting horn. When the horn blared, Zechs raised his gun and started firing, charging forward at the same time.

The battle went quickly, as Zechs' fights always did. He pushed the suit to its limits, forcing every ounce of speed and maneuverability out of it that he could. The readouts always showed the suit controls close to burning out, but he knew exactly how far he could push it. Even knowing how fast he was, the defenders facing him were never quite ready to counter him. As they turned to maintain fire on his team as they separated, as he knew they would have to, he circled to the right with Blue 5 for only seconds, before cutting back in mid-stride, spinning on one foot with his machine gun blazing, and charging straight in on a startled defender. Les Javi, a little ahead of him in Blue 5, spun too and began firing at the same mobile suit from the side and he went down. She began taking fire and turned to defend herself, but the damage was done. Zechs, moving faster than any of the defenders, leaped over the fallen Leo and sprayed the bunker with machine gun fire. Three of the remaining defenders turned to fire at him in an attempt to save the bunker, but this put their backs to Blues 2, 3 and 4. All three went down and the fifth, seeing it was pointless, dropped his gun in surrender.

The entire battle had taken less than a minute.

"Well done, Blue Team." Carl Jandy's voice sounded almost smug. He was clearly pleased that his students had made the best showing so far. "I'll expect you all for a post-exercise debriefing in Classroom 3A in one hour."

He keyed off, not waiting for their replies. None was really required.

Zechs rounded up his team and started them back toward the mobile suit hanger. None of them was too damaged to return under their own power, unlike the Red Team. Two of their suits were still down and the pilots were standing outside the open cockpits.

"I'm glad I'm not them," Les announced with a laugh. "They'll be getting their debriefing, and an ass-whuppin', right there, I betcha!"

"They already had their ass-whuppin'!" Corbin Dowl, in Blue 3, chimed in. "They got it Lightning Count-style! Hoo-ya!"

The other team members echoed the shout and Zechs grinned.

In the hanger, he started the diagnostics as he climbed out of the cockpit. The mechanic, waiting on the lift outside for the door to open, grinned at him. "You didn't burn it out again did you, Sir?" she asked good-naturedly.

"Not this time." They traded places and Zechs rode the lift down. Treize was waiting for him on the main floor.

"I am very impressed, Count," he said as Zechs stepped off the lift. "I think the mobile suit is actually limiting your abilities."

Zechs was startled. Although everyone knew his reflexes were fast, he didn't think anyone realized that he could move faster than the suit could perform. Most people believed mobile suit technology exceeded the capacity of human beings. That was why scientists were working on computer programs that could pilot the mobile suits and operate them at maximum efficiency.

"I do have to watch that I don't burn out the suit's systems," he answered carefully.

Treize studied him for a moment, his dark eyes boring intently into Zechs'. "Perhaps I will have to build a suit one day that can keep up with you, Lightning Count." He continued to gaze at Zechs for several heartbeats. "I definitely want you on my team for the games. The two of us together will be unstoppable."

"I am at your disposal, Lord Kushranada."

"Call me Treize. We'll start training together next week. I'll speak to your instructors to make time in your schedule." He turned on his heel and walked away.

Zechs watched him go until he was out of sight. Suddenly, he could remember exactly what it felt like to have Treize's mouth pressed against his. A coil of warm desire began to unwind in his loins. He looked around, wondering if anyone had seen him staring after Treize. Quickly, he headed for the barracks, hoping he had time for a cold shower before the debriefing.


	3. Fighting Temptation

_This chapter is a little short, but since it was about two times shorter in the original story, I guess I can live with it._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 3: **Fighting Temptation**

"Damn you, Zechs, you're a lucky son-of-a-bitch!" Les complained. "How the hell did you get Treize Kushranada to invite you to be on his team?" She punched Zechs on the arm, but there was no malice in her voice or the blow.

"I didn't do anything, except excel as a student," Zechs answered quietly. Other students were within earshot and he could see them watching him and Les.

"Oh, is that all?" Les said and she rolled her eyes. "Now that you make it sound so easy, maybe I'll try that." She started laughing.

"Well, if you ask me, Treize is lucky to get him," Corbin said. "If he hadn't asked, I bet someone else would have. Zechs is better than half the junior class, in my opinion."

"Oh, yeah, like the opinion of a no-nothing freshman counts for anything!" Les laughed.

Corbin wrinkled his nose at her. "I'm just sayin'…"

Zechs listened to them tease each other without saying anything. Most of his friends were deeply envious of his situation. Zechs was the only freshman who had been asked to join a team for the alumni games at the end of the year. It was not uncommon for juniors to be asked to fill out the teams, and every once in a long while an exceptional sophomore was selected. But this was the first time a freshman had been chosen. Quite a number of the seniors, and not a few of the juniors, were upset that Treize had chosen a freshman to be on his team, even someone as obviously skilled as Zechs Merquise. A few people even grumbled that it was because of Zechs' noble heritage, overlooking the fact that half of the people on Treize's team were common-born citizens.

Zechs found it all rather distressing, but not enough so that he felt tempted to withdraw from the team. He wanted to work with Treize. He told himself it was because Treize was the best student at the Academy and would become one of the finest officers in the Alliance Military one day. But it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to deny how attracted he was to Treize on a personal level, all the more so because every day made him more convinced that Treize was attracted to him as well. Whenever they got together to talk about Zechs' courses and where he was in his training, Treize's eyes seemed to bore into Zechs. Zechs could feel Treize's intent gaze even when he wasn't looking. And Zechs suspected he was doing the same thing. He couldn't help staring at Treize whenever they were alone.

He realized suddenly that the conversation around him had died away, and he looked up to find the other two staring at him.

"You were about a million miles away just then," Les remarked with a snort.

Zechs flushed. "Sorry! I was just thinking."

"Obviously. Care to share?"

"It wasn't that important."

"So it was too good to share!" Les nudged his arm and winked. "What were you doing last night?" She grinned suggestively.

Zechs felt his cheeks grow warm and knew they were bright crimson. He looked away. "I was training yesterday. You know that."

"That was yesterday. I'm asking about last night." She leaned forward and dropped her voice to a stage whisper that carried farther, it seemed, than her normal speaking voice. "Did you pick up some cute young cadet on your way back from the hanger?"

"Les!" Zechs complained. "I had training, followed by a debriefing, and then I took a shower, ate dinner and went to bed. Ok? That was it. Satisfied?"

Les sat back with an exaggerated sigh. "Hardly! I was hoping for some salacious details, not a description of your usual boring evening. Honestly Zechs! A guy as good-looking as you are ought to be getting lucky every night, and sharing the intimate details with your less attractive, less romantically fortunate friends. You're really letting me down, man."

"Yeah!" Corbin agreed with a laugh. "We're your teammates. You owe us."

Zechs stood up. "I'm going to my room to study. Lord Kushranada wants to assess my skills personally tomorrow and I want to be ready."

Les' eyebrows shut up. "Assess your skills personally? And I suppose you're not going to tell us about that either?"

"It does sound kind of kinky," Corbin muttered, rubbing his chin.

"I think," Zechs said archly, "I'm not going to speak to either one of you ever again."

Les reached out and caught his arm. "You know we're only kidding you, right?"

Zechs studied her earnest smile and nodded. "I know, but I do worry about what people say." He glanced around the room to draw Les' attention to the people pretending not to listen to their conversation. "I don't want gossip about me to damage Lord Kushranada's reputation."

Les pursed her lips. "I guess you're right. I'll watch my mouth."

"Thanks. I'll see you at dinner."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Although he and Zechs had had several meetings already, they had not yet trained together. Treize was excited about the training session they had planned for that afternoon. It was Sunday, so the training course was free for anyone to use, as long as they signed up for it ahead of time. Treize had signed up for the outer course, where the hills and valleys made an excellent training ground for setting and avoiding ambushes. Strictly speaking, this particular training wasn't necessary for the alumni games, which were face-to-face set battles, but by using the outer training area, they were assured of more privacy. If they trained on the inner course, they would no doubt draw an audience.

As they lumbered out to the training area in their mobile suits, Treize explained what they would be doing.

"I want to see how you handle the unexpected. Basically, we'll be playing hide-and-seek. I'll hide and you need to find me without getting yourself shot up."

"You realize ambush and avoidance is a sophomore level course," Zechs replied.

"I know, but I hear you're exceptional," Treize replied cheerfully.

Zechs chuckled. "What if I don't live up to your expectations?"

"I have every faith in you, Lightning Count." Treize stopped. "Ok, turn your back, shut down your sensors and wait here for ten minutes. After that, you have fifteen minutes to locate me without getting killed."

"Roger that." Zechs turned around and flipped off his sensors.

Treize immediately marched over the nearest ridge, down the next valley and worked his way up a narrow canyon with a dog leg at the end. It had a slight overhang that shielded him from above and the dog leg hid him from anyone standing at the end of the canyon. He cradled his rifle in both hands and waited.

If Zechs was on the ball, he should be able to figure out Treize was in the canyon, but reaching him without getting shot would be the trick. Treize waited. Twelve minutes in, a shower of pebbles spilled over the edge of the canyon and rained down on the shelf over Treize's head. Treize turned toward the middle of the canyon, expecting Zechs to drop down on him from above. An instant later, a shadow at the edge of his vision made him turn back just in time to be peppered with small caliber training shells from the bend in the canyon.

Treize began to laugh. "Well done, Zechs! How did you cause the rock fall from way over there?"

Zechs lowered his gun. "I made a pyramid near the edge and tossed a rock into it after I entered the canyon. There's a spot just a few steps back where you can see the top of the canyon wall."

"Very good."

They hiked back down the canyon together. At the end of the canyon, Treize stopped and pointed up the valley.

"I want you to go up the valley to the far end. It spreads out into a larger valley. There's a stream in the middle. I want you to take up a position near the stream. I'll be attacking you there and attempting to cross the stream. Stop me."

"Yes, sir." Zechs marched off.

Treize watched him go. He gave Zechs ten minutes to get into position before following him. The battle was far more difficult than Treize had expected, much to his delight. Zechs could switch between a pitched fight and a running battle without breaking stride. Treize could neither end-run him nor overwhelm him. Ultimately, Treize declared himself the loser when it became clear, after almost two hours of fighting, that he was not going to get across the stream. He held his rifle up over his head in one hand and waved.

"You win, Zechs," Treize called. "I concede that I am not going to get across that stream today."

Zechs shouldered his rifle. "You almost had me once or twice."

"Almost," Treize agreed, "but I didn't succeed. You're extremely fast." In fact, Treize wondered if he would ever find out how fast the Lightning Count really was. Most people thought Treize hated to lose, but they were wrong. Treize was always happy to lose to an opponent who could beat him on skill alone. Zechs was already skilled enough that he could push Treize to his limits. Treize could only imagine how good he would be after three more years of training. "That's enough for today, Zechs. You've worn me out."

"Already?" Zechs chuckled. "Feeling your age, old man?"

Treize laughed. "Cocky youngster! I should trounce you thoroughly for that impudent remark, but the sun is setting."

"We could go infrared and do a little night training."

"You haven't received classroom instruction on working with night vision, yet. It's not as easy as it sounds."

"I haven't had ambush avoidance instruction either and we did that."

"One new skill at a time, Count Merquise."

"As you command, Lord Kushranada," Zechs answered.

They started back toward the base. It was a long walk and the early evening grew steadily darker as they marched along. There was still enough light to see where they were going, though, as the afterglow of sunset turned the sky a deep violet hue, fading to brilliant aqua and pink just above the western horizon. Zechs stopped walking and turned to look at the sunset.

"That's really beautiful, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is," Treize agreed. He stopped to look as well, and after a moment, opened the cockpit door and stepped out to get a better view. Zechs did the same.

"I hardly ever look at the sunset anymore," Zechs said wistfully. "It always reminds me of home." He sounded very sad and Treize looked over at him.

"Zechs, come down for a moment." Treize gripped the lift cable and dropped quickly to the ground. He walked across to Zechs' mobile suit and waited for Zechs to drop down beside him. The glow of the sky made Zechs' hair shimmer like starlight and his eyes looked violet. There was a wounded look on his face, as if mentioning home had actually hurt him somehow.

"Zechs," Treize said softly, "What happened to your people was terrible, but you mustn't let that be the only thing that shapes who you are." Zechs nodded without speaking. The look on his face made him appear vulnerable, and much younger than he was. Treize gripped Zechs' shoulder gently. "If you ever want to talk about it, please come to me. I want to be your friend."

"You are my friend, Treize," Zechs answered simply. He looked steadily into Treize's eyes, his open expression showing suppressed desire.

It was too much. Without another word, Treize kissed him. His right hand slipped into the soft folds of Zechs' hair, his left arm encircling his shoulders. Zechs' arms wrapped around Treize and he kissed back hungrily, his tongue feeling soft and warm between Treize's lips. Treize was instantly lost in the passion of that kiss and his knees buckled. They sank to the ground, wrapped in each other's arms. Treize came to his senses only when he realized Zechs was trying to undress him, and that he was starting to undress Zechs. He caught Zechs' hands and pulled them up to his mouth.

"No," he whispered into the palm of Zechs' hand. "We can't do this. Not here." He didn't look at Zechs; he didn't dare. "If we get caught, we will never be allowed to see each other again." He pressed Zechs' hands against his cheek. "I don't think I could bear it if I could never see you again."

Zechs pulled his hands out of Treize's grip and sat up. "It's been a long time since I let myself feel anything for anyone," he said softly. "There cannot be love without trust and I have not trusted anyone for a long time. But I trust you, Treize Kushranada." He stood up and walked back to his mobile suit.

Treize let him start back for the base before getting up to return to his own mobile suit. He stared at the last trace of light on the horizon as the cockpit door closed. "God help me, but I'm falling n love you with you, Zechs Merquise."

-o-o-o-o-

Zechs was blind to the countryside around him as he returned to base, but it had nothing to do with the fading light. All he could see was Treize's face; the desire in Treize's eyes. _What am I doing?_ He glanced at his sensors and saw Treize's suit lumbering along a half-click behind him. _I can't do this! I can't let myself fall in love with him!_ But a voice in the back of his mind cried: too late! He thought about the kiss they'd shared and his body grew warm at the memory. If not for Treize's self-control there was no telling how far Zechs would have let things go. He felt like a fool. For so many years, he had kept himself under rigid control. He had lost so much, he feared to let anyone get close and then suffer that loss again. But he was losing this battle. His passion for Treize was undeniable.

It was dark when he arrived at the hanger. The mechanics were gone. But Zechs wasn't ready to return to the barracks. He parked his suit and began the post-exercise maintenance. There were a lot of checks to do to ensure the mobile suit would be in optimal condition for the next time. Running the diagnostics and performing minor repairs distracted Zechs from thoughts of Treize.

"You should be in bed. You have class tomorrow."

Zechs froze. The sound of Treize's voice instantly awakened the aching desire that he had been fighting to suppress.

"I know, but I didn't want to leave this for the mechanics."

"It's all minor stuff; they won't mind. And you shouldn't be making major repairs. It's their job."

"I know." Zechs looked down at Treize from the lift. He was half-way up the side of his suit, patching up the dents from machine-gun fire. The lights from the lift, while adequate for what he was doing, left Treize's face in shadow. "I… was a little too wound up to go back to the barracks," he said quietly.

"I know what you mean. But what happened this evening is just between us, Zechs. No one else needs to know."

Zechs sighed deeply. "But I can't promise that it won't happen again. My feelings for you…" He realized he was tightly clutching the tools he was holding when his hands began to ache. "I think I should withdraw from the games."

"I can't accept that, Zechs." Treize's voice was deadly quiet. "I need you on my team. Your skills are beyond anything I have ever seen. With you at my side, I know I can take it all. At this moment, that matters far more to me than the fact I've never wanted anyone the way I want you."

Zechs closed his eyes and shuddered.

"We are professionals, Zechs," Treize continued. "We will do what needs to be done, and if that means resisting our feelings for each other, then that is what we will do. I'm not letting you off the team."

Zechs looked down at Treize again. Despite the shadows, he could see the intensity in Treize's eyes. Slowly, he nodded. "Yes," he whispered. "I am at your service, Lord Kushranada."

"Good. Now go to bed." Treize turned and walked away.

Zechs watched him go. Fraternization was frowned on between classmates and forbidden between grades. If they succumbed to their desire and were caught, it might very well cost them everything. Zechs would have to trust that Treize would not allow that to happen.


	4. Living with Desire

_Someone asked how old Zechs and Treize are in this story. I'm sorry, but I don't keep the notification emails and the Stats page appears to be down right now, so I can't get at my reviews and look up your name. So, whomever you are: Victoria Base Academy is based on a typical four year college, where freshmen are first year students, sophomores are second year, juniors are third year and seniors are fourth year. Like college, a student's year doesn't necessarily reflect his or her age, but in general seniors are older than freshmen. In this case, I imagine Treize is about 23 at the beginning and Zechs is about 19._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 4: **Living with Desire**

Maintaining a professional demeanor around Treize was much easier than Zechs had thought it would be. They continued training together, alone and with the other cadets Treize had chosen for his team. Zechs decided that he would rather be with Treize, and be tortured by his secret passion for him, than not be with him. Treize was a natural leader. Working with him, following his orders and meshing with his teammates into a seamless whole was fulfilling in its own right. Zechs could be completely open about his admiration for Treize and no one thought anything of it. In fact, most people seemed to find Zechs' attitude toward Treize perfectly reasonable and normal.

The Alumni Games were a four day event in which Academy graduates, officers from all divisions of the Alliance Military and members of the Romafeller Foundation would observe the senior students in mock combat to assess their skills before they graduated. The Academy Review Board, which was comprised primarily of Academy graduates, used the results of the games, in conjunction with the cadets' class rankings, to decide where to post the seniors after graduation. Of course, visiting officers and Romafeller nobles tried to influence Review Board decisions through nepotism, graft, bribery and other non-performance-based reasons. Nevertheless, a good showing in the alumni games could make a cadet's career, because it could result in a coveted posting. A poor showing, on the other hand, could relegate a student to a backwater assignment where he or she would have no chance to advance.

For underclassmen, participating in the games was a chance to be seen by high-ranking officers and start making names for themselves. As the only freshman to ever participate in the games, Zechs knew he would be under intense scrutiny, but he was less concerned for himself. He wanted to do well so that no one would have any reason to question Treize's decision to include him. Zechs intended to make Treize look brilliant.

The mock combat was a simple tier, with winning teams from each paired battle advancing to the next level. Teams were ranked not only by whether they won or lost, but also on how well they acquitted themselves in their contests. The entire team received the same ranking, while individuals from a team could be singled out for special honors if unusual skill was demonstrated.

Sixty-four teams would enter the combat initially. The sixty-four team captains were chosen by the senior class instructors and then each captain choose the other nine members of his or her team. Since there were only 419 students in the senior class, this allowed a fair number of third year students the chance to compete as well. In order to make the battles as fair as possible, each team was given a flag to defend; but to win, a team had to capture the enemy flag. This required them to plan both an offensive and a defensive strategy. There would be two sets of battles a day for the first two days, one set in the morning and one set in the afternoon. All the pairings would be drawn by lot immediately before the contests, which was supposed to prevent any one team from planning a strategy based on the knowledge of a specific opponent.

Of course, this meant Treize just studied them all. Zechs often sat with him while Treize was going over his notes and making his plans, but he usually didn't say anything. On this afternoon, only two days before the start of the games, he lounged in an empty classroom with Treize, his feet up on a desk, while Treize drew diagrams on the board.

"There, what do you think of that?" Treize asked as he stepped back, studying his work.

"Not bad," Zechs answered.

Treize frowned at him. "Did you even look?"

"Of course, Treize. I watch everything you do." Zechs looked at him through the silver spill of the bangs hanging over his eyes.

Treize's frown faded into an affectionate smile. "Don't look at me like that, it gives me ideas."

Zechs tossed his hair back and smiled. "I can't help it, I have the same ideas."

Treize turned and leaned back against the board with his hands behind him. "Are you nervous about the games? I'm afraid everyone's going to be watching us."

Zechs shook his head. "If I didn't have faith enough in my own skill, I would still have faith in your judgment. No matter how you might feel about me otherwise, I know you wouldn't have chosen me if I wasn't good enough."

"We can win the whole thing, you know."

"I know."

"Good." Treize turned back to the board. "So tell me what you think of this. Last year, the team that should have gone all the way lost in the fifth round because they didn't change their strategy. I plan to change my strategy after each round. That's why I've had us practicing so many different formations."

"It's a good idea."

"All my ideas are good," Treize replied with a smirk. "So I'll decide which plan we're going to use depending on who we draw." He touched the board controls to save his diagram and erase the screen. Then he walked over and sat on the desk next to Zechs' feet. "This will make your reputation, Lightning Count."

"Do you want more than my thanks, Lord Kushranada?" Zechs lifted his chin and met Treize's eyes squarely. Treize drew in his breath and put his hand on Zechs' ankle, but he said nothing. Zechs held his gaze for a long moment and then dropped his eyes. "I'm sorry, Treize. My feelings make me shameless, sometimes."

Treize let his breath out in a soft sigh. "It's all right, Zechs. I'm guilty of the same thing." He squeezed Zechs' ankle briefly and let go. "How are you getting on with the team? Any problems?"

Except for Zechs, Treize's team were all seniors, which had made fitting into the group difficult at first. But Zechs' skill quickly won them over, except for one person. Zechs dropped his eyes. "No problems," he replied quietly.

Treize regarded him silently for a moment. "Really?"

"I feel like a part of the team on the field."

"But not off the field."

"I'm not a senior, so it's normal I would not be part of the social group."

Treize sighed. "It's Une, isn't it?"

"Lady Une treats me as an equal at all times," Zechs said quickly. He looked up at Treize. "I do not fault her behavior in any way."

"Of course you don't." Treize smiled. "And Une would never do anything to upset me and she knows not accepting you would upset me. But she's not friendly with you, the way the others are."

"But we work well together in the field, which is all that's really required."

"All that's required, yes." Treize put his hand on Zechs' ankle again. "Une has strong feelings for me…"

"She sees me as a rival?" Zechs concluded with some alarm. "Do you think she knows?"

"No. At least, I don't think she would be willing to accept it on a hunch. But subconsciously, it may influence her behavior toward you."

Zechs frowned unhappily. "I don't want to come between you and your friends, Treize."

"You won't. No matter how she feels, Une will stay beside me." Treize squeezed Zechs' ankle again and stood up. "Let's go strut around the base for a while. Quite a few alums are here already and I always enjoy giving them the chance to talk about me."

Zechs' frown gave way to an amused smile and he followed Treize out of the room.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

They won their first two combats handily. In the first contest, their opponents clearly were not prepared to face Treize and Zechs together. In fact, they seemed to have completely underestimated Zechs' speed. They only realized their mistake when they saw their disarmed team captain lying on his back with Treize standing over him waving their captured flag. The second team to face them found Treize and Lady Une taking the offensive, while Zechs lead the defense of their flag. They fared no better than the first team.

Zechs did not attend the dinner hosted by the representatives of the Romafeller Foundation that night. Treize missed him. Zechs might be a Count, but he possessed none of the arrogant, self-important mannerisms displayed by most of the Romafeller nobility. His straightforward honesty was one of his most appealing characteristics. Treize often assured himself that it was these fine personality traits that attracted him to Zechs and not just the god-like beauty that kept him in a state of semi-arousal whenever they were together. But there was nothing arousing about the people around him tonight. Romafeller nobles really only cared about two things: power and money. Of course, that made controlling them fairly easy and Treize was already quite good at it, despite his relative youth. But the necessity of maintaining his political position in society didn't make him miss Zechs any less.

"Why did Count Zechs not attend the dinner tonight, Lord Treize?" Lady Une appeared at his elbow, holding two glasses of champagne.

Treize accepted one of the glasses and sipped from it before answering. "Zechs has little patience for hypocrisy," he replied casually. Lady Une was the one person he feared might discover his emotional attachment to Zechs. It was telling that the first words out of her mouth tonight were about him.

"Ah. Well that would certainly explain why he avoided this gathering." She sipped her champagne. "I have heard a few people speaking of him, however, wondering why he snubbed them."

Treize frowned. "Zechs would never intentionally insult anyone."

"Of course not," Une agreed. "Nevertheless, his absence is being taken by some as a sign of disrespect."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lady Une." Treize looked around at the gathered nobles, offended and angry. None of these people had any right to judge Zechs or second-guess his intentions. Keeping his voice calm, but raising it slightly so that it would carry beyond Une to those nearest him, he remarked, "Perhaps they should consider forgiving Count Merquise for carrying a grudge over the destruction of his homeland. I do not blame him for finding it difficult to socialize with those who might be responsible for the death of his family." He felt vindictively pleased at the looks of guilt that appeared suddenly on faces around the room as his words were repeated. He looked at Une. "I think it's time we retired for the evening, Lady Une. We have another contest tomorrow morning, and one in the afternoon as well, I expect."

"Yes sir."

He allowed Une to precede him, refusing to do more than nod to people as he passed them on the way out. They would learn. Zechs Merquise was going to become a force in the world, with or without Treize Kushranada.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

For their third battle, Treize put Lady Une in charge of the offense, with Zechs backing her up, and took over defense of the team flag himself. From the way their opponents scrambled around at the last minute, changing their formation, it was clear they had expected to be facing Treize on offense and had not prepared for this eventuality. Treize was known for his aggression on the battlefield; no one expected him to voluntarily take the less aggressive role of defense. But changing their battle plan was probably a mistake. It certainly didn't prevent the outcome and probably hastened their defeat. Their captain was still trying to organize an offense against Treize's pitched defense when Zechs cleared a path through their defense for Lady Une, allowing her to capture their flag.

"Well done, Kushrans!" Treize congratulated them over the radio. Zechs chuckled when he heard it. 'Kushrans' was a term used by jealous academy students to refer to Treize's sycophants. They meant it to be insulting, but Treize's friends found it rather amusing and had begun using it among themselves as a joke. Zechs hadn't been aware that Treize had heard the term, but obviously he had. "Let's meet in Classroom 16B as soon as we can. I want to go over the plan for this afternoon," Treize continued. "I'll have lunch brought in."

Zechs' "Aye" sounded like an echo of the others chirping out of his radio. He headed his mobile suit toward the maintenance yard set up on the edge of the training field, where the combats were taking place. He'd pushed it rather hard and the servos in the right arm were complaining. As he opened the cockpit door, the mechanic was already shaking her head.

"Don't tell me," she began before he could speak, "You burned out the right arm again."

"It's not burned out." Zechs sounded defensive, even to himself. "Maybe overheated a little."

"Right." The mechanic lifted an eyebrow at him. "And I suppose you'll want it all fixed before this afternoon."

"I think Lord Kushranada would prefer that."

"Yeah, I daresay he would." She waved him out of the cockpit. "Well, get out of the way then and let us get started." As he moved past her, she winked at him. "Don't worry, sir. It'll be good as new when you need it."

Zechs took the cable lift down and hurried to catch up with Treize.

"How's your suit?" Treize asked as soon as Zechs fell in step with him.

"It'll be fine by this afternoon." Zechs wasn't surprised that Treize had been able to tell he'd over-extended his Leo. "But it might be better if I'm on defense this afternoon."

"That's good, it fits my plan. Although I was planning to have you move around quite a bit."

"That shouldn't be a problem."

Treize's plan for their afternoon contest was shockingly bold. They were facing a team captained by a woman, Alexa Barnard, who was considered to be almost as good as Treize. He knew she would have studied his tactics and would have prepared many contingencies, so he needed to do something completely unexpected.

When the battle started, Zechs and five defenders waited for the attack. But moments after it began, Zechs plucked up their flag and danced backward, machine gun blazing, while three defenders moved with him, taking up positions on either side and in front of him. The other two defenders rushed forward to join the offense. Alexa had sent five in for the attack and kept five back for the defense. This left her with superior numbers on the offense, but at a disadvantage on defense. Her defense settled in to form a pitched line around their flag, ready to repel the superior numbers, while her offense confidently moved to surround Zechs. Zechs let them get just far enough to think they would succeed, before handing the flag to one of his teammates and driving his Leo forward at top speed, charging straight into the suit in front of him and driving him to the ground. He fired point blank into the Leo's control panel and then spun around to fire at the Leo on his left. The mobile suit went down and he dashed back to fill in the hole in the defensive perimeter around the teammate holding their flag. With superior numbers, they now had no trouble holding off the attack until Treize and Lady Une were able to break the opposition's defense and take their flag.

Treize was silent as they headed back to the barracks to shower and change for dinner. Zechs had agreed to attend the dinner hosted by the Romafeller Foundation, but he wasn't particularly happy about it, so he was silent as well. Lady Une walked with them, her usually braided hair spilling in soft brown waves over her shoulders.

"You don't seem happy about our victory, Lord Treize," Lady Une said finally.

"I am, but it was unfortunate that we had to meet Alexa Barnard so early in the competition. She would have made it to the final match otherwise." Treize sighed. "I just hope the judges recognize her abilities. She's a damn good soldier and a superior leader."

Zechs had to agree with that. This was by far the most difficult battle they'd fought. If not for his unpredictable speed, the battle could have gone either way. And now he had to face a battle of a different kind. Three hours of smiling and lying and pretending he didn't hate half the people he spoke to. The only thing that made the idea bearable was the knowledge that Treize would be there.

As they dropped Zechs off at the freshman dorm, Treize stopped. "Why don't you meet me in the quad after you change and we'll go to the dinner together?"

"All right." Zechs made no effort to keep the relief out of his voice.

Treize smiled. "It's not that I think you would ditch, but…"

"You should think it," Zechs said with a wry smile. "I admit it has crossed my mind more than once."

Treize laughed. "Then I'll meet you here in an hour, Count Merquise."

"Right."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize rather enjoyed watching people react to Zechs. Zechs was a consummate gentleman and his breeding really showed at dinner that night. Plus, he was easily the handsomest person in the room. But that night was the first time that Treize fully understood that Zechs was completely aware of how his appearance affected people and he was not the least bit hesitant to use it against them. He was utterly charming in the way a snake is charming right before it strikes, but Zechs never showed his fangs. He'd spent years perfecting his self-control.

"I thought I accounted for your damn freshman." Alexa Barnard spoke from behind Treize and he turned with a smile to face her.

"Zechs is hard to predict," Treize acknowledged. "I'm still trying to find the limit of his abilities."

"I think that could take a while."

"Me too." Treize turned back to watch Zechs.

Alexa moved up beside him and fixed her eyes on Zechs as well. "He is awfully good-looking."

"That he is."

"When you first picked him, I kept hearing people say it was because of his looks or his heritage, but I kept thinking there had to be another reason. Then I saw him in training and wished I'd gotten to him first."

Treize glanced at Alexa's profile. "I'm sorry we got paired today. I was expecting to meet you in the final round."

Alexa nodded sadly. "Yeah, so was I. Today's drawing was bad luck for me." She turned to Treize. "No hard feelings, though. Losing to you is an honor and I made it a tough fight."

"It was a tough fight," Treize agreed. "I think the rest are going to feel a little anti-climactic. As far as I'm concerned, you're still second in our class."

"Thanks, Treize. I appreciate the praise. It means a lot, coming from you."

They shook hands solemnly.

"Nevertheless," Alexa continued, squaring her shoulders, "I better go do a little schmoozing and butt-kissing just to remind everyone about my class ranking and how prominent my family is. I don't want to end up stationed in Iceland." She favored Treize with a crooked smile and walked away.

Zechs approached him as Alexa moved away. "Is Alexa all right about losing today?"

"She'll be fine," Treize said. "Her family has a lot of clout and I think she enjoys the politics." Treize studied Zechs' face. "What about you? How are you holding up?"

"It's probably a good thing that I'm unarmed."

"That good, huh?"

"These gatherings only serve to remind me why I hate these people so much." He spoke lightly, as if he were discussing the weather.

"We've probably been here long enough. Do you want to leave?"

"Yes."

"Let's go for a walk, then. I want to plan strategy for tomorrow anyway."

They strolled out of the banquet hall into the warm night. The Romafeller dinner was being held at the officer's mess, which was located close to the officer's quarters, the base commander's house and the accommodations reserved for important visitors. Neither Treize nor Zechs spoke until their footsteps carried them out into the quad, well away from any potential listeners.

"I wish I could have spent the evening alone with you," Zechs said quietly.

"We have to be careful," Treize replied.

"I know, but at times like this, I can't stop thinking about you." Zechs looked up at the stars. "I wish we could get away from here for a few days, just the two of us."

Treize stopped and caught Zechs by the hand. "We can't have each other, Zechs. Not yet. Our time will come, I promise you."

Zechs looked at him. Even by starlight, Treize could still see the blueness of his eyes. "My heart belongs to you," Zechs said quietly. "I can wait to give you my body as well."

For a moment, Treize stopped breathing. Just the thought of having Zechs was enough to arouse him. He drew in a ragged breath. "I think I need to change the subject. Let's find an open classroom and talk about tomorrow's fight."


	5. Painful Goodbyes

**Warning**: _This chapter contains some sexual content (eventually). Also, this is the first chapter where slightly different versions will post on fanfiction dot net and mediaminer dot org, due to wording changes in this version to meet the M rating restriction. (Is it a bad thing that I like writing about guys doing it in intimate descriptive detail?)_

-o-o-o-

Chapter 5: **Painful Goodbyes**

The third day of combat ended up being easier than the second. Treize wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps they were just comfortable working together now. Or maybe it was because everyone else had just accepted the inevitable. In any event, they came through their last battle of the afternoon seemingly without effort and found themselves being lauded for the achievement of reaching the final tier. Treize still felt their opponent at this point should have been Alexa Barnard, but instead they would face Dalken Curzon.

Dalken Curzon was ranked third in their class, but he was convinced he was better than everyone. He did not accept that Treize and Alexa were both ranked above him. He was certain that his lower ranking was because Alexa and Treize were both members of the Romafeller Foundation and he was not. Treize suspected that it had more to do with Dalken's inherent arrogance and the fact that most people didn't like him. Dalken also had a tendency to always give himself the most important position in training sessions, so he always had a chance to show off his skills. He never bothered to utilize the skills of people on his team, unless he had to. He had already earned several individual honors in the games, which suited his personality. In Treize's opinion, it was probably just luck his team had made it this far.

That evening, the Review Board hosted a dinner to honor the two teams who had made it to the final tier. Among the guests, of course, were members of the Romafeller Foundation and many senior Alliance officers. Several prominent cadets from the senior class were also invited, although Treize noticed that most of these were children of prominent Romafeller families, or were members of the Foundation outright, like himself. He had to suppress an ironic smile. There was probably some truth in Dalken Curzon's complaints about nepotism. Nevertheless, Treize was still annoyed as he watched Dalken's conceited posturing as he strutted before the Review Board.

"He really is an ass, isn't he?" Alexa muttered at Treize's elbow. She sipped from her glass of champagne to shield her lips as she spoke.

"It's a pity he doesn't see it in himself," Treize replied. He sipped his own champagne.

"I hope you're planning something really humiliating for tomorrow," Alexa said cheerfully. "I'd love to see him brought down a few pegs."

"Or maybe ground into the dirt?" Lady Une suggested quietly. She had braided her soft brown hair and twisted it into a bun on the back of her head. It made her lean face look rather severe.

Alexa chucked. "I wouldn't complain." She glanced at Zechs, standing quietly next to Treize. "What do you think, Count Merquise? Have you an opinion about Dalken Curzon?"

"It's not a freshman's place to have opinions about upperclassmen, particularly if they're low opinions."

Alexa threw her head back with a sparkling laugh. "Oh, that's lovely! Your mind is as quick as your reflexes, my dear Count, and I find that absolutely charming." She put her champagne glass on the tray of a passing waiter. "Come and dance with me, so I can make all the fine ladies jealous."

Zechs abandoned his glass with a waiter as well and offered Alexa his arm. They moved out onto the dance floor where a few other couples were turning slowly to the stately music.

"What are we going to do about Dalken tomorrow?" Une asked. She turned from watching Zechs and Alexa on the dance floor to gaze at Treize intently.

Treize's gaze remained fixed on the couple for a moment before flicking toward Dalken. "Alexa's suggestion isn't too far off," he replied in a low voice. "Men like him do not make good officers. They are too ready to sacrifice others to make themselves look good and will often make poor decisions in the process. I think I want to make sure he does not receive a good posting after graduation."

"That won't be easy."

"I know, but I have an ace in the hole." His eyes moved back to the dance floor. Zechs was seductively graceful when he danced.

Une followed his gaze. "But Dalken has had plenty of time to study Zechs Merquise. He will have come up with a plan to counter him."

A slow smile crept across Treize's face, but it was chilling. "I very much doubt that, Lady Une. I do not believe that any of us have yet seen the Lightning Count truly extend himself."

"I hope you're right."

"Trust me."

Une sighed. "I always do, Lord Kushranada."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I have been reviewing the recordings of Dalken's battles and I think we can beat him." Treize looked around at his team. They regarded him with calm expectation; nine men and women who trusted his judgment and were prepared to follow him without question. Loyalty and trust were the forces which bound his team together. Skill made them great. Treize leaned forward unconsciously.

"Until now, we've worked very closely as a team and that's why we've won." There were nods all around. "Today, we're going to make one small change. Zechs, I want you to engage Dalken in single combat." Zechs blinked in surprise. "I know he will lead the attack against our flag and he will expect me to challenge him. He will leave the rest of his team to sink or swim on whatever defensive plan he's set up. It will probably be a good plan, but he won't have planned for me to be on the offense. So, Lady Une, I want you to defend the flag. Yuki, Jane, Nguyen and Chris will provide your perimeter. The rest of us will take offense while Zechs takes on Dalken." Treize grinned humorlessly. "Dalken will think he can make quick work of you, Zechs. I expect you to eliminate him quickly in the most humiliating way possible and then help us take their flag."

"He's very good, Treize," Zechs replied.

Treize's grin widened. "Yes, he is. But frankly, I think you're better."

"Yeah, you can take him, Zechs!" Yuki chimed in.

"Stick it up his nose!" Chris shouted.

"Or somewhere else!" Boris, another teammate, added with a harsh laugh.

This inspired several even cruder remarks about how Zechs could humiliate Dalken, most of them highly improbable in a mobile suit, and he finally smiled. "I am at your command, Lord Kushranada."

The final battle was scheduled for noon on the fourth day of the games. By mid-morning, the viewing stands were full as everyone prepared for what was expected to be an exciting contest. Even the hills around were covered with underclassmen eager to see the fight. The two team's mobile suits were lined up beside the training field, receiving last minute attention from the mechanics.

Treize walked down the line of his team's Leos, catching the eyes of each mechanic as he went by and receiving reassuring nods. He was not about to lose this fight due to mechanical failure. He stopped when he reached Zechs' suit, the last one in the line. The mechanic, a slender young woman with incredibly strong hands, was just finishing her inspection.

"How does it look?" Treize asked casually.

"Just fine, Lord Kushranada," she replied, equally casually. "I just tightened up the servo response time a little bit. It seemed a little sluggish. I think Count Merquise will feel more comfortable with the performance now."

Treize smiled. "That's perfect, thank you." He started to turn away and then glanced back over his shoulder. "You know Chief Mechanic Sumari is retiring. I'll recommend you for promotion."

A slight smile touched the young mechanic's lips. "It's an honor working with gentlemen like you, Lord Kushranada."

Treize walked over to where the rest of his team was waiting. Zechs spoke up immediately.

"Is there something wrong with my suit? I saw you talking to my mechanic."

"Everything's fine, Zechs. I bribed your mechanic to make some modifications to the servos in your Leo. You should be able to get half again as much speed out of the system as you could previously."

Zechs stared.

"Is that entirely ethical?" Une asked.

"The advantage would make no difference for you or me," Treize replied. "But I do not see why I cannot use my weapons to their fullest capability and that means ensuring that Zechs can perform without restraint." Treize looked directly into Zechs' eyes. "Don't hold back, Zechs. When you engage Dalken, I don't want anything slowing you down." He held Zechs' gaze for a long moment before locking eyes with each team member in turn. "I want Dalken and his team crushed as quickly and as viciously as possible. I want everyone who sees this fight to remember our fight with Alexa Barnard's team and realize that she should have been here and not Dalken. Is that understood?"

He received a chorus of solemn "ayes" in return. Treize turned back to Zechs. "I mean that, Zechs. Crush him."

Zechs saluted. "Yes, Sir!"

The battle was everything Treize wanted. Zechs defeated Dalken in less than a minute, sidestepping Dalken's overconfident charge and knocking him face first to the ground, where he sprayed the fallen Leo's shoulders and knees with machine gun fire, knocking out the servos so that Dalken could not turn over. That meant he would not be able to exit his suit until the mechanics came out with their big equipment to turn the Leo face up. Zechs then joined the force attacking the other team's flag and the defenders were quickly overwhelmed. In all, the contest lasted just over two minutes.

All of Dalken's honors seemed hollow now. He had been beaten badly by a first year student. Treize couldn't help smiling as he exited his suit and walked to where the team was rushing over to mob Zechs, pounding him on the back and tousling his hair. Zechs was smiling broadly, but his face simply lit up when he saw Treize. He struggled to free himself from his teammate's hands and straighten his uniform as Treize approached.

"Did I do all right, Treize?" he asked, still smiling.

"That was perfect, Zechs. Thank you." Treize smiled back. What he wanted to do was embrace Zechs and kiss him until the rest of the world disappeared, but instead, he extended his hand so that Zechs could clasp it in a comradely shake. He looked around at the rest of the team's beaming faces. These were good people. They deserved this victory. "We'd better go get cleaned up for the awards ceremony," he told them. "Thank you, everyone, for a job well done. I never had any doubt we would end up here."

"It's an honor to serve with you, Lord Treize," Lady Une spoke for all of them.

-o-o-o-o-

Zechs stood in front of the mirror in his room, examining his reflection. His dress uniform was utterly spotless. His boots gleamed brighter than the stars at night. His face was clean shaven and his hair was brushed until it shone like liquid silver. No freshman had ever stood on the stage to receive an Academy Achievement Medal before, but that wasn't why he was staring at his reflection now. He wanted to make Treize proud. His performance, his appearance, everything about him for the rest of the evening would reflect on Treize and Zechs would do nothing to embarrass him.

A knock on his door drew him out of his contemplation and his heart skipped a beat when he opened it to find Treize waiting on the other side. Treize looked every inch the nobleman, even wearing his Academy dress uniform. His brown hair was brushed into smooth waves, but stray curls still spilled against his forehead. His dark eyes sparkled with pleasure at the sight of Zechs.

"You look very handsome, my dear Count," he said softly.

Zechs stepped back so Treize could enter the room. Knowing full well that he shouldn't, Zechs closed the door behind him. Treize turned to face him, his eyes boring into Zechs'. He moved closer and Zechs took an instinctive step backward, but he was stopped by his back bumping into the door. Treize leaned against the door, his hands resting on either side of Zechs' head.

"I would much rather spend this evening alone with you, Zechs," he said, "but we have a duty to perform tonight." He leaned closer until Zechs could feel the soft rush of Treize's breath against his face. "I hate thinking about it, but I will graduate soon and then we won't see each other at all."

Zechs stared back into Treize's dark eyes. His pulse was racing and desire made him ache all over. "Then kiss me and don't talk about it."

If Treize was surprised by his request, he didn't show it. He leaned the rest of the way in and pressed his lips to Zechs'. Zechs opened his mouth and stroked his tongue against Treize's lips. Treize responded by opening his mouth and sliding his tongue between Zechs' lips. They kissed deeply for a long time.

"Lord Treize, Count Zechs, we're going to be late." Lady Une's voice on the other side of the door startled them both.

Treize quickly stepped back, instinctively straightening his uniform. Zechs did the same before pulling the door open. Une's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at them and Zechs wondered if she suspected. He wondered how long she had been standing on the other side of the door. But she said nothing. She just turned to lead the way down the hall and Treize moved out to follow her. Zechs closed his door and trailed after them, trying once again to focus on making Treize proud of him. There was still the ceremony and banquet to get through, after all.

The awards ceremony was hosted in an empty hanger, because all of the students who participated in the games were invited to attend, along with all the visiting alumni, Alliance officers, Romafeller Foundation nobles and of course the Review Board. Dozens of tables were set up on the floor of the hanger, with more important people sitting closest to the stage where the Review Board members were seated at a long table. As the winning team, Treize and his people were seated quite close to the stage. Dalken Curzon was seated farther away. Zechs wondered if his seat assignment had been changed after the battle today. Alexa Barnard and a few other seniors were seated closer to the stage than he was, even though he had made it to the final tier.

Dalken's eyes bored into Zechs as they were taking their seats. Even from a distance, the hate and fury in his glare were palpable. Lady Une noted it with a faint grimace.

"It would seem Dalken is holding a grudge from this afternoon," she remarked.

Treize glanced at Dalken and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. He'll get exactly what he deserves."

Zechs said nothing. He felt a little guilty for being the instrument of Dalken's downfall, even though he had only been following Treize's orders.

Dinner was served first, while the president of the Review Board made a long, boring speech. From long practice, Zechs kept the boredom off of his face and pretended to listen, even though he had heard it all before. _The valuable contribution of Academy graduates to the safety and security of the Earth Sphere was a cause for pride. They should all be proud of themselves and their accomplishments_. Zechs' eyes kept wandering back to Treize's face throughout the president's speech. How much better it would be if he could be alone with Treize, wrapped in his strong arms, savoring the tender sweetness of his kiss, feeling the firm muscles of his chest and stomach pressing against him. Desire uncoiled in his loins and Zechs dragged his eyes away, back to the stage. He dared not think about that now.

At last it was time to receive their achievement medals and the ten of them filed up onto the stage as they were introduced to resounding applause. Even Zechs received applause, which surprised him. Afterward, standing in front of the stage with the others, receiving congratulations and praise, Zechs wondered how long he would have to stay there before he could escape back to his room.

"I suppose you're proud of yourself, stealing another man's honor!" a harsh voice hissed in his ear.

Startled, Zechs turned, but he was not surprised to find Dalken Curzon standing behind his left shoulder.

"I only performed to the best of my ability, Cadet Curzon," Zechs replied, keeping his voice low.

Dalken's face darkened. "I won't forget this, Count Merquise!" he growled. He made Zechs' title sound like an insult. "Count on it!" Dalken shouldered his way through the crowd and stalked away. Zechs watched him go with a slight frown.

"Ignore him, Count," Une spoke from beside him. "He hasn't much other than his bitterness left. I heard they are withdrawing two of the honors he received earlier because of his defeat today."

"Won't that affect his posting?"

"Very likely." Une didn't sound particularly concerned. "But as Treize said, a man like that should not be in charge of other men. He'll still get a decent posting because of his class rank, but he won't be put in charge of a unit." She studied his face briefly. "You look as if you're ready to leave."

"I wouldn't mind."

Une smiled. "Always so polite! Well, Lord Treize said I should tell you that you can leave now if you like. Since you have nothing to gain at this time by further politicking, you may as well go. The juniors are all leaving."

Zechs had to stifle a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Lady Une. Good luck tonight."

"Thank you, my lord Count."

Zechs left without looking back, although he desperately wanted to see Treize's face one more time. Graduation was only a week away and after that, they would likely not see each other again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Graduation was simultaneously the proudest and the saddest moment of Treize's life. He had worked hard to get to this point. He had earned his position as first in his class and he accepted the award with appropriate modesty. But graduation meant being posted away from the Victoria Base and he did not know when he would be able to see Zechs again. Even suffering with unfulfilled desire seemed better than not seeing Zechs at all.

But Treize was not going to leave without saying goodbye. The graduation ceremony was held during the day. The Romafeller Foundation would be hosting a graduation dinner in the evening at which Treize would be the guest of honor, so he had to attend, but until then, he was free. He was determined to spend at least some of that time with Zechs.

The lower classes were also holding promotion ceremonies, which would be followed by appropriate celebrations. It was an Academy tradition for the cadets to dress in their very finest street clothes for the post-promotion parties. Students were known to spend hours in their rooms getting ready, in between the promotion ceremony and the party. Hoping that Zechs would adhere to tradition, Treize went to his room. To alleviate suspicion as much as possible, he carried a small box in one hand.

Zechs was completely surprised when he opened his door to Treize's knock. Treize held up the box.

"I brought you a promotion gift, Count Merquise," he said lightly. There were a few students in the hall watching him curiously.

Zechs opened the door wider and stepped back. "Come in, Lord Kushranada." Treize stepped in and Zechs closed the door. He eyed the box curiously. "Is that really a gift?"

"No." Treize put the box on the dresser. "I just needed an excuse to come to your room."

Zechs' eyes widened. "It's probably not a good idea for us to be alone together."

Treize stepped close and put his arms around Zechs' waist. "If I have to spend the next several years apart from you, I'll be damned if I'm going to just walk away without holding you again." He drew Zechs close and kissed him. Zechs kissed back with deep passion. He put one arm around Treize's neck and his other hand slipped down to rub the front of Treize's pants. Treize moaned and pulled his mouth away. "Zechs…" he whispered.

Zechs looked into his eyes. "Let me," he whispered back. He dropped down to his knees and unbuckled and unzipped Treize's pants. Treize leaned back against the dresser with a groan, his cock engorging painfully as Zechs pulled it out through the flap in his underwear. Zechs began to suck, sliding up and down slowly at first and stroking with his tongue.Treize closed his eyes with a gasp of pleasure.Zechs began to move faster, driving Treize relentlessly toward climax. Treize had to clamp his lips closed to keep his cries of pleasure from filling the room and possibly echoing into the corridor outside. His orgasm sent shuddering waves of joy through him. Zechs held him until the last powerful spurts of ejaculation ended.

Treize opened his eyes and looked down at Zechs. "How can I ever stand to leave you?"

Zechs tucked Treize away and fastened his trousers. Then he stood up and looked into Treize's eyes. "I love you, Treize, and I would give anything to make love with you right now. But I'm still a student at the Academy and you are now an officer in the Alliance Military. Fraternization would destroy your career."

Treize pulled Zechs into his arms and buried his face in his hair. "I love you more than anything in this world, Zechs Merquise," he whispered. "Never forget that. I will find a way for us to be together, I promise you." He held Zechs tightly, afraid to let go because he didn't know what would happen if he did. Zechs held him just as tightly, the soft whisper of his breath tickling Treize's ear.

"I will always be yours, Treize Kushranada, whether we are together or not."

Treize didn't kiss him again. At this moment, to kiss him any more would be the first step into lovemaking. He released Zechs and moved to the door. "I will come back for you, Lightning Count." He left without looking back.


	6. Reunion

**Warning**: _At last! What you've all been waiting for! This chapter contains strong sexual content and lots of it. These guys are SO hot! I had to make wording changes for the M rating, but I think I kept the hotness factor intact. I am such a pervert. But I'm a happy pervert!_

-o-o-o-

Chapter 6: **Reunion**

Treize's initial posting was a difficult assignment, but one from which huge career gains could be made. He was assigned command of a unit providing security and rebel suppression in the Colonies. Success in space could make an officer's career on Earth. Although Treize had opportunities to return to Earth sooner, he chose to remain in space for the full two-year duty rotation. He was not entirely convinced that his desire to return to Earth was as purely motivated as it could be. He missed Zechs with a deep and heartfelt longing.

For the same reason, he also turned down every invitation to visit the Victoria Base until he was invited back for the graduation of Zechs' class. By then, he had been serving for a year at his current post at the Alliance Military Base in Luxembourg, near his home. But even after transferring back to Earth, Treize had stayed away from the Academy. He strongly doubted that he could see Zechs and keep his hands off him. Even after three years of separation, he still had dreams about Zechs from which he woke drenched in his own cum.

But now Zechs was graduating and Treize was done with holding back. He had promised himself that Zechs would be his and he saw no reason to wait any longer.

This year, the Romafeller Foundation was hosting the graduation banquet at the lavish manor of the family of a graduating cadet that was a short flight from the Academy. Normally, the graduation ceremony was held on the parade ground and the banquet followed in the officer's mess. This year, however, while the graduation was still held on the parade ground, as soon as it ended, the graduates and their families were boarded onto military flights and flown and then bussed to the banquet at the Loenfeld manor. This suited Treize just fine. He had been to the Loenfeld manor many times and new the mansion almost as well as his own.

Treize did not go to the graduation, but went straight to the manor. He had no desire to spend any more time than necessary among the Romafeller nobility. Holding his tongue might prove too difficult if he had to play their games for too long. Presentations of honors and awards for student achievement were usually made during the banquet, but everyone always knew beforehand who would be receiving them. Zechs would of course be receiving an award for being first in his class, but that was all. Treize fumed to himself whenever he thought about it. It was an insult that Zechs was not receiving some kind of special recognition for being the only student in the history of the Victoria Base Academy to participate in the alumni games all four years of his attendance. He was just the fifth student to participate on two winning teams. His team had won the alumni games this year.

But Zechs still refused, it seemed, to play politics the way Romafeller nobility liked it, and someone had probably put pressure on the Review Board. As if Zechs would care. But Treize cared and he promised to make a few people wish they hadn't meddled. Treize had a very long reach.

But now he arrived fashionably late, after the banquet and awards ceremony were over and the attendees had settled down to the serious business of mingling, plotting, and backstabbing. Treize worked his way through the room, starting his own rumors and shredding a few reputations, while he looked for Zechs.

When he finally saw him, Treize had to fight to keep from dashing across the room and sweeping Zechs into his arms. It seemed impossible, but he had forgotten how utterly beautiful Zechs was. He forced himself to approach Zechs in a sedate and dignified manner. He had not quite reached him when Zechs turned and saw him. His blue eyes widened slightly and a hint of a smile touched his shapely lips. He didn't say anything as Treize drew near.

"It is good to see you again, my dear Count," Treize said, praying that his voice sounded normal.

"It is good to see you also, Lord Kushranada. It's been too long." Zechs' eyes were fixed on his and Treize had to struggle to keep breathing. Desire was burning through him, robbing him of the power of speech. He stared at Zechs, unable to think of anything except how much he wanted this man. Finally, fighting to keep his voice calm and level, Treize forced himself to speak.

"If you don't mind, Count Merquise, I would like to speak with you alone for a moment about your career plans."

Zechs bowed slightly. "I am at your service, my lord."

Treize led the way, knowing exactly where he was going. He knew people were watching them leave and he hoped it wouldn't cause too much talk, but at this point, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was Zechs.

-o-o-o-o-

"In here," Treize murmured as he opened a dark paneled door. Zechs stepped through and Treize moved in behind him, pushing the door shut and throwing the deadbolt. It was a beautifully appointed sitting room, of the sort where fine ladies and gentlemen would gather to listen to music or discuss politics. But Treize led the way quickly across the room to another door. Zechs smiled when he entered the next room. It was a bedroom. There was no doubt in his mind now about what Treize intended. As Treize closed and bolted this second door, Zechs removed the jacket of his dress uniform and hung it carefully over a chair back. Treize moved to do the same as Zechs calmly removed his boots, stockings and trousers, hanging the latter neatly over the chair as well. Then he turned to watch Treize, wearing only his shirt and underpants.

Treize regarded him steadily as he finished removing his own trousers. Then he stepped close and wrapped his arms around Zechs' waist, pulling him tight against his body. "I missed you, Zechs," he said. "There were days when I tried not to think about you at all because it was too painful and then there were the days were I could think of nothing but you. I promised we would be together again one day and I am not waiting any longer."

Zechs put his hands on Treize's shoulders and kissed him deeply. Even after three years, he had not forgotten what it felt like to kiss Treize. He was already excited, but that kiss immediately fanned the heat in his body to fever pitch. He closed his lips around Treize's warm tongue and sucked it, rubbing himself against Treize's hip at the same time. Zechs ached with arousal. The taste and scent of Treize were intoxicating. Treize's hand slipped down to caress his buttocks and Zechs moaned. He started unbuttoning Treize's shirt, eager to touch his bare skin.

"I have imagined so many times what it would be like to touch you," Treize whispered, "but this reality is more than I ever dreamed."

Zechs pushed Treize's shirt open and kissed his shoulder. "The fantasies I have had about you, I intend to carry out tonight. I have been saving myself for this."

"You waited for me?"

"What else could I do?" Zechs looked into his eyes. "I meant it when I said I belonged to you. Now there is nothing left but for you to claim me."

Treize drew in a deep breath. Zechs could feel his erection pressing against his hip. "I think," Treize breathed out slowly, "that I am the most fortunate man alive."

"Very soon," Zechs replied with an intimate smile, "you will also be the most satisfied."

Treize moaned. He started walking Zechs backward across the room until the bed bumped against the back of his knees. Zechs pushed Treize's shirt down his arms and Treize released him long enough to let the shirt fall to the floor. Zechs slid appreciative fingers across the smooth, muscular flesh of Treize's chest and down his beautifully sculpted arms.

"You've been keeping in shape," Zechs said. "It must be all that fencing practice."

Treize chuckled. "I could say the same about you, I suspect." He unbuttoned Zechs' shirt and removed it, letting it fall to the floor beside his own. He stroked his hand down Zechs' firmly muscled chest to his flat belly and then slowly slid it into Zechs' underwear. Zechs gasped as Treize clasped his erect cock. "It wasn't fair, you know, that you got to touch me three years ago but I never had the chance to do the same." He hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled Zechs' underwear down over his hips, dropping to one knee as he did so. "Now it's my turn." He started giving head and Zechs groaned. Treize took his time, clearly enjoying the pleasure of touching Zechs this way.

Zechs clasped his shoulder. "Don't finish me! I want to come with you the first time."

Treize stopped immediately. He pulled Zechs' underwear down to his ankles and Zechs stepped out of them. Then Treize stood up and removed his own underwear. Zechs crawled onto the bed, stretching out on his back and Treize lay down beside him with his arms around him. He kissed Zechs warmly on the lips.

"If you've been going without for three years, I think I will need to get you ready." He caressed Zechs' thigh and then slid his hand between Zechs' legs. Zechs moved his legs apart, bending his knees slightly. Treize stroked his fingers across Zechs' opening but he didn't penetrate him.

Zechs moaned. "I really, really need you inside me right now."

"In a minute," Treize murmured. He licked his fingers and slid them back between Zechs' legs. This time, he slid the first two fingers slowly into Zechs. Zechs closed his eyes with a groan and arched his back slightly. Treize kissed him again. "You're tight. I don't want to hurt you."

"Please don't make me wait!"

"It will be worth the wait, I promise you." Treize continued to move his fingers inside Zechs while kissing him hungrily. Zechs spread his legs more and clung to Treize, kissing back with passionate urgency. "Now," Treize murmured. "Knowing the Loenfeld's, I expect this bedroom is well stocked. Don't move." Treize rolled over and opened the top drawer of the nightstand beside the bed. "Just as I thought, everything a sexually active nobleman needs." He removed a tube of lubricant and turned back to Zechs. "I like this brand," he said with a chuckle. "It's very long-lasting and I plan on being inside you for a long time."

"You're making me crazy!" Zechs groaned. His body was on fire with need. Treize's fingers had felt so good it seemed painful now that they were gone. He reached down, grasped Treize's cock and began stroking it firmly. "I think you need motivation."

"As if looking at your naked body isn't motivation enough!" Treize gasped. He quickly poured the lubricant over his fingers and worked it into Zechs.

"That's enough!" Zechs exclaimed. He pulled Treize on top of him and wrapped his legs around Treize's hips. Treize lifted his hips slightly and reached down to guide himself into Zechs. Then he thrust forward firmly and drove himself in as far as he could all at once. Zechs arched up with a gasp of joy. "Oh yes!" he cried. "Deeper!" He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped Treize's shoulders, driving his hips up against Treize urgently. "Oh god, Treize, don't stop!" he gasped out. "Please don't stop!"

Treize thrust into him hard and deep, already panting with exertion. His fingers dug into Zechs' shoulders as he pounded his hips up and down. Tears of pleasure and joy leaked from Zechs' eyes. For three years he had dreamed of this and the culmination of his desire was shattering. Feeling the full length of Treize's torso pressed against his; feeling the hot rush of Treize's breath against his face; feeling the hard delicious length of Treize's erection ramming into him over and over again; Zechs was in ecstasy. He felt like he had never been truly intimate with anyone before this moment. His orgasm started long before his ejaculation came, but when that ultimate explosion of pleasure blossomed, he arched up against Treize with a cry of joy, his body shuddering as the waves of orgasm swept through him. Treize's answering cry of pleasure accompanied the hard pulsing of his cock as he came inside Zechs.

As his shudders subsided, Zechs opened his eyes to find Treize's face inches from his own. Treize gazed intently into his eyes for a moment and then lowered his mouth to Zechs', kissing him long and deeply.

"I have waited so long to be with you like this," Treize whispered. "I have never loved anyone the way I love you."

"You are the only man I will ever love," Zechs answered softly. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

Treize smiled. "So do I." He kissed Zechs again, his tongue sliding in to stroke warmly and softly against Zechs' lips and tongue.

Zechs kissed him back, content to lie there, suffused with the warm afterglow of his climax, still aware of Treize inside him and hoping for a resurgence of Treize's desire. He tightened his buttocks and Treize pulled his mouth away with a gasp.

"What are you doing, my dear Count?" he exclaimed with a smile.

Zechs smiled back. "Just checking to see if you might be interested in another round." He squeezed again and Treize groaned.

"I think if you keep doing that, there will definitely be another round."

"Oh good," Zechs grinned and kept tightening and relaxing his buttocks. "I just want to make sure the first time wasn't a fluke."

"A fluke?" Treize gasped out between groans. He lifted onto his hands as his cock engorged. "Let me show you." And he began driving himself into Zechs with deep powerful thrusts.

-o-o-o-o-

Zechs awoke before dawn the next morning cuddled against Treize's side, his right arm behind Treize's neck and his left arm draped across Treize's chest. Treize was still asleep and Zechs lifted his head to gaze at him lovingly. It was such a relief to finally stop holding back, even if it was only for the moment. He trailed his fingers across the firm, smooth skin of Treize's chest, tracing circles around the nipples before sliding his fingers down the indentation in the middle to his navel, and finally beyond to more interesting places. As he began to caress Treize intimately, Treize stirred. Zechs tightened his grip and a soft sigh escaped Treize's lips.

"Didn't you get enough last night?" Treize murmured without opening his eyes.

Zechs began to stroke him, desire stirring in him as he felt Treize hardening in his hand. "I don't think it's possible to get enough of you," Zechs answered. He leaned over and stroked his tongue gently across the nipple closest to him.

"Ahh…" Treize exclaimed softly.

Zechs licked him again and sat up, moving to straddle Treize's thighs while continuing to stroke Treize's now fully erect cock. "You satisfied me at least five times last night, although I admit the last two were so close together they might have been counted as the same one." Treize smiled. "Anyway, I've decided it's your turn. So lie still and let me do all the work."

"Zechs…"

"Hush. Don't move. It's still early. No one's looking for us yet."

Zechs moved forward, rising up so he could guide Treize's erection into himself. As he settled onto it, Treize uttered a soft moan. Zechs began to move up and down slowly, leaning forward slightly so he could get more and more of Treize into himself as he moved. Treize pushed up against him and clutched Zechs' knees. His head rolled back and his mouth fell open as he began to pant with pleasure.

Zechs had intended this to be for Treize's pleasure alone, but riding Treize felt unbelievably good. He leaned back, his breath rushing from his open mouth in soft groans. He started moving faster, his groans of pleasure turning to cries of joy.

"Oh Zechs!" Treize cried out suddenly. His body bucked up against Zechs and he came. Zechs could feel Treize pumping inside him and he collapsed onto his hands, his orgasm spraying cum all over Treize's chest. He stayed like that for a moment, waiting for his shudders to subside. Treize was breathing hard, as if he had been the one on top. He slid his hands up Zechs' arms to his shoulders and then cupped Zechs' face in his hands. "If you were the one doing all the work, why am I exhausted?"

Zechs smiled and leaned down to give Treize a kiss. "Because you can't help wanting to be in charge."

Treize returned the smile and pulled Zechs' mouth back down to his. Zechs' hair spilled down to hide their faces behind a curtain of silver. After a long deep kiss, Treize looked into his eyes. "I am going to have you transferred into my unit."

Zechs was caught by surprise. "How can you do that? I've already been assigned."

"I'm a senior member of the Romafeller Foundation," Treize replied with a smirk. "I can do whatever I want. And I want you."

"I want you to, Treize," Zechs said, "but won't it cause trouble even for you if they find out you're fucking one of your subordinates?"

"It would be better if no one found out, I'll admit. But I am not going to live without you anymore. If you're in my unit, we have a reason to spend time together. No one will question it." He gripped Zechs' arms. "I am well known for wanting the best people on my team. You're first in your class. No one will be surprised when I ask for you." He sighed. "We spent months resisting the need to become lovers. Then we went three years without seeing each other at all. We're lovers now and I refuse to give that up." He looked into Zechs' eyes. "You belong to me, Lightning Count, you said it yourself."

Zechs stared at him for a long time, thinking it through. In all likelihood, they would be caught and he would be thrown out of the Alliance Military. But, until they were caught, they would have months together, sharing their passion. And that was worth any price. He kissed Treize gently. "I am at your service, Lord Kushranada."


	7. Comrades in Arms

**Warning**: _This chapter contains strong sexual content, repeatedly. In fact, pretty much every chapter from now on will probably have strong sexual content, but I will continue to include the warning. As usual, I made a few minor wording changes for the rating, but nothing significant._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 7: **Comrades in Arms**

"All packed Zechs?" Les Javi spoke from the open doorway of his room in the senior dorm. The hallway outside bustled with activity as the senior cadets, now graduates of the Academy, prepared to leave for their new assignments.

"I think so." Zechs looked around the room. "It looks about the same as when I moved in."

"It seems weird doesn't it? We're officers now. In a few days, we'll be reporting to our new assignments and starting our careers in the Military." Les chuckled. "If my folks were any prouder, I think they'd burst out of their clothes."

Zechs smiled. "They should be proud. You've worked really hard."

"Thanks." Les stepped across the room and offered Zechs her hand. "I'm going to miss you, Zechs. You've been a good friend."

Zechs took Les' hand, but then he pulled her into an embrace. "You've been a great friend, Les."

"Hey, hey! None of that!" Les remarked with a laugh. She returned his embrace quickly and stepped back. "You want people to think I've finally succumbed to that pretty face of yours?"

Zechs laughed.

"Anyway," Les continued in a more serious tone, "I heard your assignment got changed. Nothing bad, I hope?"

"No, not at all." Zechs tried to sound casual. "I was reassigned to Treize Kushranada's unit in Luxembourg. He asked for me personally."

"No kidding? That's great! Luxembourg is a great posting. I'd rather go there than the moon, but they say the moon's a good place to start if you want to move up quickly and I do."

"You'll do well there, especially if you can get out into the colonies."

"That's what I was thinking." Les glanced out into the hall. "People aren't talking about you, are they? I mean, back in freshman year when Treize put you on his team for the alumni games, there was some talk."

"I haven't heard any," Zechs shrugged. "It wouldn't bother me, anyway. I'm a nobleman, remember? We're used to talk. It's mostly just envy."

"Still…" Les paused. "It could hurt your career if people thought Treize was favoring you."

"I have faith in my own abilities. It wasn't Treize who made me first in our class. That was me."

"That's true. And no one drives a mobile suit the way you do."

"Damn straight." Zechs shouldered his duffle bag. "Anyway, Lord Kushranada wasn't the only one who tried to get me reassigned. Instructor Bell told me that there were eight or nine requests for my transfer."

Les shook her head and laughed ruefully. "It must be nice to be perfect." She picked up her own duffle bag. "We should probably get moving. The transports are supposed to leave in an hour."

They left the senior dorm together and jogged across the quad for the tarmac where several transports waited, their idling engines filling the air with a steady drone.

"There's my transport," Les pointed. The space transport looked sleek and fast compared to the heavier-bodied air transports. A number of cadets were clustered at the base of the steps leading to the cabin. One of them turned to wave at Les. Les waved back and then she gripped Zechs' upper arm. "You take care of yourself, ok?"

"I will." Zechs gripped her arm in return. "You too."

Les grinned and waved goodbye as she trotted off to join the cadets waiting to board the space transport. Zechs watched her go with a smile. He would definitely miss her sharp sense of humor and quick wit. Her companionship had been a pleasant diversion from thoughts of Treize and from the unpleasant necessity of dealing with Romafeller nobles. But that part of his life was over now. By tomorrow afternoon, he would be reporting to Treize and assuming his duties as a junior officer in the Alliance Military. Both thoughts excited him, but Zechs was honest enough to admit he knew which thought excited him more.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The Luxembourg base was one of the Alliance Military's largest and most prestigious. As Zechs crossed the base heading for the main Administration building, he gave crisp salutes to the senior officers he passed and received sharp salutes from the rank and file soldiers in turn. Everyone walked proudly with his or her head up, even the common soldiers. People were proud to serve at Luxembourg.

Zechs had to ask directions to Treize's small office in the interior of the maze-like Administration building. When he arrived outside the open door, his duffle bag in one hand, Lady Une and two others were meeting with Treize in the small windowless room. Zechs dropped his bag by his feet and saluted smartly, waiting for Treize to acknowledge him. Treize returned the salute casually and waved Zechs into the office at the same time.

"Welcome to Luxembourg, Lieutenant. You remember Lady Une, I trust?"

"Yes," Zechs inclined his head to Une. "A pleasure to see you again, Lieutenant."

Une favored Zechs with a friendly nod, but he had the impression she was not particularly happy to see him.

Treize introduced the others. "These are my unit officers with whom you will be serving Lieutenant Merquise. You know Une, of course. This is Cole Vernon, my second, and Dmitri Wakov, who was junior officer until you walked in." Treize smiled. "Everyone, this is Zechs Merquise. He just graduated from the Victoria Base Academy, first in his class."

"Are you the one they call the Lightning Count?" Cole Vernon asked. Cole had very dark skin and tight curly hair, and an open countenance that betrayed a tendency to smile easily. At Zechs' nod, he held out his hand with a broad grin. "Then I owe you my thanks."

Zechs shook Cole's hand, his confusion showing on his face, and everyone laughed.

Treize grinned as he explained. "When you beat Dalken Curzon at the alumni games three years ago, it cost him a posting here at Luxembourg. The resulting opening allowed Cole to request a transfer from duty at the Moon Base."

Cole pumped Zechs' hand one more time and released it. "I hate the Moon!"

Zechs chuckled. "Glad to be of service. I look forward to serving with you."

"All right, the briefing's over, everybody out," Treize announced. "Except you, Lieutenant Merquise. I want to go over Base procedures with you." As the others left, Treize pointed at Zechs' duffle bag and indicated he should bring it in. Zechs did so, setting it just inside the door. Then, at Treize's rather pointed look, he closed the door and bolted it.

"We're in the middle of the Administration building," Zechs pointed out.

"Don't let it bother you," Treize replied. "I just finished my daily briefing and I'm not due for another appointment until the dinner briefing with the Base Commander. I'm on my own for the next two hours." He put his arms around Zechs' waist. "It's ridiculous, but I feel like the last few days have been longer than the preceding three years."

Zechs slid his arms around Treize's shoulders and pressed his body against him. He touched his lips against the soft skin where Treize's jaw met his neck, just below the ear, and licked gently. A soft sigh of delight escaped Treize and Zechs licked him again, and then again, feeling the growing hardness of Treize's erection pressing against his pelvis.

"Oh, lord!" Treize exclaimed softly. He fumbled urgently at the buckle of Zechs' belt, anxious to get his pants down. Zechs didn't resist him, his lips and tongue continuing to work their magic on Treize's neck and ear. Treize yanked his pants down, his hands tightening eagerly on the firm flesh of Zechs' exposed bottom. "I need this!" he whispered into Zechs' ear. He kept one arm around Zechs' waist and pulled him over to the desk. With his free hand, he opened a drawer and fumbled around in the back until he produced a tube of lubricant.

Zechs lifted an eyebrow. "You keep lubricant in your desk?"

"Not until today. But I knew you were coming." Treize undid his own trousers with one hand, pulling his erection out. Then he turned Zechs and pushed him up against the desk. Zechs leaned over onto his hands and looked back over his shoulder to watch as Treize squeezed lubricant onto his fingers.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Zechs said. Excitement hardened him and his breathing quickened.

"Do you want to wait until later?"

"No!" Zechs groaned as Treize inserted two fingers into him. He closed his eyes and moaned helplessly as Treize worked his fingers in and out.

"You're tight again."

Zechs lifted his hips so Treize could get into him better. "I'm counting on you to fix that."

"I'm at your service," Treize replied. He removed his fingers and inserted his cock with a slow, steady thrust.

Zechs tilted his head back with a groan of pleasure. "I know you can get it in a lot deeper than that."

"I'm just getting started," Treize said hoarsely. He pulled back slowly and then rammed his hips forward, driving himself deep into Zechs.

Zechs gasped. "Yes! Just like that!" He moaned deeply. "Keep doing that!"

Treize felt so good, Zechs no longer cared that they were doing it in the middle of the Administration building. He leaned forward and lifted his hips more so that Treize could get into him as deeply as possible. Treize pounded his hips against Zechs' bottom, driving himself in deeper and deeper. They both groaned with pleasure, their labored breathing gasping out in unison as Treize drove them both toward climax.

Orgasm exploded in Zechs and he came, spraying across the desk. He felt Treize come inside him, his hips shuddering against Zechs' buttocks.

"Oh god, I needed that," Treize groaned.

"Me too," Zechs echoed.

Treize put his arm around Zechs' waist and pulled him upright. "I want you to come to my room after dinner tonight. I have a dinner briefing with General Catalonia, but I should be done by 2100 hours at the latest."

Zechs kissed Treize on the cheek. "Yes, Commander." Treize pulled out of him and Zechs tugged his pants up. "There's nothing on my trousers, is there?"

Treize inspected him carefully. "No, you're clean." He wiped his hand on his handkerchief before tucking himself away and fastening his own trousers. Then he turned to survey the mess on his desk.

"You're very wet," Treize remarked.

"And whose fault is that?" Zechs replied as he finished straightening his uniform.

Treize grinned at him and fluttered his handkerchief. "You better get yours out, too. One hankie is definitely not going to do it."

Zechs just smiled as he produced his own handkerchief.

-o-o-o-o-

General Catalonia looked grim. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began as soon as they were all seated. "It looks like we may have an uprising on our hands."

Treize glanced quickly around the table to see if anyone looked surprised. Of course, he did not allow surprise to show on his own face. There were a few startled looks, but like him, most of the officers had their poker faces on. Treize continued to serve himself from the platter in front of him as the general continued.

"You all know we've been getting reports of the occasional theft of Alliance equipment in the Balkans. Well, it seems that this is much more widespread than we were lead to believe. The Base Commander at Pancevo has been relieved of duty." This evoked murmurs of surprise from more than a few people. "They've been losing everything from spare parts to ammunition to an entire Leo. Senior Command is now convinced that a coordinated uprising is being planned in the Balkans. Because of the trouble in Pancevo, units from several other bases, including Luxembourg, will be taken by carrier to Pancevo to put an end to these thefts and nip this uprising in the bud."

"How many units from Luxembourg will be posted?" Treize asked immediately.

"Four, initially," General Catalonia replied. "I plan to use the Specials units for this." He smiled grimly at Treize. "This is the sort of thing the Specials have been trained for."

Treize smiled back. This was indeed exactly what the Specials had been trained for. The Specials were units that reported directly to General Catalonia, no matter where they were based, and were comprised entirely of men and women who were personally loyal to the general. The general had created and trained these units so they stood outside the normal chain of command and were therefore immune to corruption in the upper ranks. Of course, not everyone knew this. To everyone else, the Specials were just highly trained, anti-guerilla combat forces. To Treize and those who knew, the Specials were a fifth column, the Oz Organization, ready to step in when corruption within the Alliance and Romafeller threatened to upset the security of the Earth Sphere.

"Commander Kushranada, your unit will be the first to deploy. I want you ready to go first thing in the morning."

"Yes, General."

Treize returned from the dinner briefing lost in thought. He had talked to General Catalonia privately afterward to get the details the general had held back during the meeting. The mess at Pancevo was worse than what the general had outlined during the briefing.

"I can't decide if it was incompetence or deliberate betrayal," the general had said. "How can your records be so bad that you can misplace an entire Leo?"

"How much of the Pancevo command was replaced?"

"Along with General Brigham, four of his senior staff officers and a handful of junior officers were also reassigned."

"That's going to cause a lot of disruption."

"True, but maybe we'll shake something out." General Catalonia had been livid. "Something is going on at that base and I'm damn well going to find out what it is. I'm counting on you, Treize. I want somebody I trust down there."

Returning to his room, Treize could understand the general's fury. Betrayal was the one thing General Catalonia could not forgive. Treize felt the same way.

Opening the door to his room, Treize was momentarily surprised to find it not empty. Zechs was reclined on his bed, leaning on one elbow reading a book. He looked up and his smile took Treize's breath away. Treize quickly closed the door. "I forgot I told you to come here after dinner."

Zechs sat up with a seductive smile. "Already taking me for granted?"

Treize groaned. "I intend to take you, but 'granted' is not a term I've ever used for it." He locked the door. "Since you're taking my orders, I think you need to take off your clothes."

"As you command, Sir." Zechs stood up and started to undress. Treize leaned back against the door to watch. Zechs paused when he was naked from the waist up and posed. "Do you like what you see?" Treize swallowed and nodded. Zechs stripped the rest of the way. He faced Treize with his hands held out to either side, revealing himself completely. He was decidedly aroused.

Treize gasped aloud when he realized he was holding his breath. "My god you're beautiful," he whispered.

Zechs tipped his head to one side. "Feel free to touch, kiss or lick anything that appeals to you."

Treize was on his knees in an instant, sliding his hands up the backs of Zechs' firmly muscled thighs as he started giving Zechs head. His taste and hardness were utterly delicious. Treize worked eagerly, using his tongue as well as his lips. Zechs clasped his shoulder with one hand; the other tangling in Treize's hair.

"Ohhh!" Zechs moaned. "Go ahead and finish this time!" he gasped.

Treize had every intention of finishing, but his own erection was aching with need by the time Zechs' orgasm flooded his mouth. He licked his lips and leaned back. "There's lubricant in the top drawer of my dresser behind the socks. Would you mind getting it while I undress?"

"Undress fast," Zechs advised as he stepped over to the dresser.

Treize chuckled. "I should be the one in a hurry now."

"You think one orgasm is enough when I have your body to look forward to?" Zechs looked at him through the soft screen of his bangs. "I still don't feel like I completely belong to you."

"You're trying to drive me crazy."

"Not crazy enough. You're still not inside me."

Treize drew in a ragged breath. "Get on the bed. Any position; I don't care." He yanked off the last of his clothing and snatched the tube out of Zechs' hand. Zechs crawled onto the bed on his hands and knees and Treize immediately squeezed a stream of lubricant down the seam of his buttocks. He continued to squirt the lubricant onto his fingers as he slid them into Zechs. "You do belong to me, Zechs Merquise," he exclaimed hoarsely. Then he grabbed Zechs by the hips and rammed himself in with a firm thrust.

Zechs gasped aloud and threw his head back. "Yes! Harder! Make me yours!"

Treize couldn't think. Sexual need drove him relentlessly. He jammed himself into Zechs over and over again, his cock harder than he could ever remember it being. Finally, shuddering orgasm arched his back and for a moment, he couldn't even breathe.

Zechs slumped forward onto the bed and Treize collapsed with him. "That was really good," Zechs panted.

Treize nodded wordlessly, still too breathless to speak.

Zechs turned over and put his arms around Treize. "I really love you, Treize." He kissed Treize warmly on the mouth. "I'm glad you had me assigned to your unit."

"What else could I do?" Treize stroked his fingers through Zechs' silky hair. "Oddly enough, as much as I love you, having you near me is less distracting than being separated from you."

Zechs studied his face. "What happened at the general's briefing?"

"There's trouble at Pancevo. We're being transferred down there tomorrow." Treize smiled. "You're the junior officer, so you can expect all the menial jobs."

Zechs nodded and smiled. "That is to be expected. But I do hope that one of those jobs will be tending to your personal needs."

Treize chuckled. "You may expect to perform that duty on a regular basis, Lieutenant."

"Only too happy to be of service, Commander."


	8. Pancevo Base

**Warning**: _As promised, this chapter contains strong sexual content. Enjoy!_

-o-o-o-

Chapter 8: **Pancevo Base**

Pancevo seemed hot and muggy after the cool Luxembourg weather. Zechs mopped his sweating face with his handkerchief and then smiled when he remembered the last thing he'd used it for.

"It's pretty hot here," Sheldon Davis, his patrol mate, remarked.

Zechs nodded. "It was worse at Victoria, though. Middle of summer, you could fry eggs on your own skin."

"Damn!" Sheldon grinned. "And I used to think it was bad in the cold up in Alaska!"

"When it's cold, you can put on a jacket. When it's hot like this, all you can do is sweat." Zechs grinned. "But you get used to it."

"When?" Sheldon mopped his own face and wrung out his handkerchief with a grimace. "I think I'm losing weight just from sweating."

"I said you'd get used to it, I didn't say you'd stop sweating!" Zechs laughed.

"Damn!"

Shortly after arriving in Pancevo, Treize had divided the unit into two patrols, with Une and Cole in charge. Initially, the region around Pancevo Base had not seemed any more troubled than the area around Luxembourg. Early patrols had been relatively peaceful. But that changed rather dramatically halfway through the second week when Une's patrol was attacked by a well-armed force of rebel fighters. After that, it seemed like they encountered some kind of guerrilla attack or rebel activity every other day. Additional units from three other bases were deployed to Pancevo to support the Luxembourg forces.

General Catalonia's standing order regarding rebels was to accept surrender if it was offered, but to not wait around for such an offer. While some of the commanders took this to mean show no mercy, Treize told his people to take prisoners whenever possible without risking lives. He wanted to gather intelligence. But taking prisoners proved to be nearly impossible. The insurgents fought with ferocious desperation when cornered and ran if overwhelmed. After a month of fierce fighting, although the rebels had been suppressed, the Alliance forces knew little more about what was going on around Pancevo than they had when they first arrived.

Treize did not like it. He hated not knowing what was going on. So after the first month, he reorganized his unit into eight two-man patrols and two ten-man patrols. The larger patrols continued to provide rebel suppression. The primary function of the smaller patrols was to gather intelligence by interacting more closely with the local population. Zechs and Sheldon had been paired up for just over a week. Sheldon was a good man, if a little too inclined toward practical jokes. Zechs liked working with him.

That muggy afternoon, they hiked down to the airfield where their carrier was parked from the cool comfort of the air-conditioned mess hall on the base. Treize preferred to keep their Leos stored in the carrier, rather than use the Pancevo Base hangers, just to make sure only their own mechanics could get at their mobile suits. Although an effort had been made to re-check everyone still working at the Base, Treize chose to rely on a healthy paranoia. Zechs didn't have a problem with that. He liked to maintain a personal relationship with the mechanic who maintained his suit. It just made sense.

It was cooler inside the carrier, but noisy. Cole's team had just come in and from the sound of it, there'd been trouble. Zechs and Sheldon exchanged a look and then broke into a run in the direction of the commotion.

Treize stood with arms crossed, listening closely as Cole recounted events from his patrol. A medic was patching a bloody wound in Cole's upper arm as he spoke.

"…claimed he didn't hear a thing, but the door was ripped clean off the hinges," Cole concluded as Zechs and Sheldon reached the group.

"The warehouse was cleaned out?" Treize asked angrily.

"Down to the mouse droppings," Cole said. "They practically waxed the floor."

"Dammit!" Treize exclaimed. "No one was supposed to know about that warehouse. The supplies were only going to be there for three days!" He chewed his lip, his face dark with suppressed fury. "And you're pretty sure the ones you found didn't do it."

"I'm positive." Cole inspected the medic's work by flexing his arm and making a fist. "They fought like sons of bitches, but they didn't know anything about the warehouse. They just had the misfortune of being hidden close by." Cole looked at Treize knowingly and Treize nodded.

"We've got a leak." Treize saw Zechs and Sheldon at the edge of the group and beckoned them forward. "I'm changing your patrol. Do the Yellow 3 patrol today instead of Green 6. And watch yourselves. There's now an extremely well-armed group out there."

"Aye, sir," Zechs and Sheldon said in unison. They saluted and sprinted off toward their mobile suits.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Zechs had few opportunities to be alone with Treize since arriving in Pancevo. Living on the carrier, surrounded by their comrades, mechanics and the carrier crew, there was little chance for privacy. But Treize was really too distracted anyway. The certain knowledge that there was a traitor somewhere in the Pancevo command had him constantly on edge. Zechs often found the safest way to appease his need to touch Treize was to massage his head and temples after dinner. If anyone caught them at it, it had a relatively innocuous explanation. And if they had five uninterrupted minutes, he could usually steal a kiss or two. But sex was pretty much out of the question, which left him tremendously frustrated even though he was tired most of the time from the constant patrols.

But after waking up for the second time on the same night with a hard-on so stiff it hurt, Zechs gave up trying to sleep. He could explain the first midnight shower as attempting to escape the heat, but he doubted anyone would buy it a second time. He rolled out of his bunk in the converted living quarters on the carrier and padded quietly out into the passageway on his bare feet, his boots in one hand. His untucked shirt hung down far enough to cover his erection, but he walked slowly anyway, so the tails wouldn't blow against him and reveal the bulge.

_This is ridiculous_, he thought. _How am I supposed to sleep like this?_

He strolled down into the hanger bay. It was dark and quiet, but as he walked along between the rows of mobile suits, he saw one with an open cockpit door emitting a faint flicker of light from the displays. It was Treize's suit. Without a second thought, Zechs dropped his boots in the shadows and scrambled up the side of the Leo. There was no elevator cart nearby, so whoever was inside had gone up the same way. He peeked inside the open door and felt warm desire spread from his groin when he saw Treize seated in the pilot's seat.

"Couldn't sleep either?" he asked as he stepped into view.

Treize started in surprise and then smiled broadly. "Zechs! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Wandering around wishing I could be in bed with you." He moved all the way into the cockpit, leaned over and kissed Treize deeply.

Treize's left arm slid around Zechs' torso and pulled him down into his lap, while his right hand flickered across the controls, closing the door and disabling the communications interfaces. Then he began undoing Zechs' trousers.

Zechs took his tongue out of Treize's mouth long enough to whisper, "We'll get caught," and then slipped his tongue hungrily between Treize's lips again.

"I don't care," Treize mumbled around Zechs' tongue as he worked his hand inside Zechs' underwear and fondled his erection.

Zechs groaned. He stood up without taking his mouth off Treize's so Treize could pull his pants down. At the same time, he fumbled desperately for Treize's zipper and yanked it down. Treize started stroking him and Zechs' hands shook as he worked his fingers into the flap of Treize's underwear to pull his cock out. It was deliciously hard. With a gasp, Zechs pulled his mouth away and started giving Treize head to get him wet. He worked up and down for as long as he could stand it and then turned around. Treize put an arm around Zechs' waist and pulled him down into his lap, inserting his erection at the same time. Zechs leaned back against him with a deep groan. Gripping the edge of the console, he began pushing himself up and down. Treize put both arms around him, moving with him, his soft moans rushing on hot breath into Zechs' ear.

Even being as hard as he was, Zechs didn't come right away; he didn't want to. He wanted to enjoy this moment with Treize for as long as he could. He let his head fall back against Treize's shoulder as ecstasy slowly engulfed him. Treize felt wonderful inside him. He was so hard, Zechs could feel every inch of it, opening him up and stimulating him until shivering waves of pleasure washed through him, cresting steadily towards climax. His ejaculation was so powerful he couldn't make a sound while it was happening.

"Oh god!" he whispered when it finished. "How did I ever last so long without having you?"

Treize kissed his cheek. "The same way I did," he murmured, breathless from the strength of his own orgasm, "by thinking about other things."

"I love you, Treize."

"I love you, too." Treize kissed his cheek again. "Now help me clean up. I am NOT explaining this to my mechanic!"

Zechs smiled. "You know, if we did this in bed, we wouldn't always have to clean up after ourselves."

Treize shoved Zechs out of his lap. "Smart aleck," he muttered.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Because of the suspected traitor, Treize changed the patrol assignments every day in an attempt to keep anyone from guessing when a patrol team would move through a particular area. It seemed to be working at first, as they experienced a brief rise in their success rate at finding and capturing guerilla forces. But then things started to go wrong again. They lost another shipment of supplies when a carrier was hijacked at a refueling stop on the Mediterranean coast. General Catalonia was reportedly spitting nails and Treize was short-tempered with pretty much everyone but Zechs. This became obvious when Sheldon and Zechs entered the mobile suit bay on the carrier and found Treize dressing down two terrified looking mechanics.

Treize stopped as soon as he saw Zechs and dismissed the mechanics with an abrupt wave of his hand. They fled as if escaping the hangman. He waited for Zechs and Sheldon to reach him, obviously trying to rein in his temper.

"Is something wrong, Commander?" Zechs asked as soon as they reached him.

"No," Treize replied with a slight shake of his head. "I just need…" He stopped and shook his head again, and then smiled at Zechs. "I just need to catch a break. Take the Blue 4 patrol today."

"Yes, sir." Zechs saluted and headed off for his mobile suit. Beside him, Sheldon was frowning.

"The Commander's not happy," he grumbled. "When the Commander's not happy, something bad's always brewing."

Zechs nodded in agreement. He knew what Sheldon meant. "Let's see if we can get some intel today. Blue 4 patrol will take us past that village where the warehouse was robbed last month. Let's stop and ask a few questions."

"Good idea."

Their patrol took them across country, following a natural fold in the land that kept them mostly out of sight until they moved up onto the road to march into the village. Some people dashed away in panic as the mobile suits lumbered into town, but many just went about their business with resigned expressions. Zechs and Sheldon stopped near the middle of town in front of a row of shops. Two of the merchants immediately shuttered their windows, but one man remained calmly out front sweeping his sidewalk.

"Keep watch," Zechs said and he exited his suit.

The merchant stopped sweeping and leaned on his broom as he watched Zechs approach. "You people are bad for business," he complained as Zechs drew near. "You never buy anything and you drive good customers away."

"Sorry about that," Zechs replied with a shrug. "These rebels make life hard for everyone."

The man snorted.

"Once the rebels are put down the patrols will stop," Zechs continued. "If people were more willing to talk to us, we could end this a lot sooner."

"You want me to rat out my own kind?"

"Are you a rebel?"

The man paled. "That's not what I'm saying!" he said quickly. "But some of my countrymen don't hold with the Alliance. They think we should be a free country."

"Your country is free. The Alliance is for everyone's protection."

"That's what you say, but…" The man started sweeping again. "The Alliance is always looking over my shoulder."

"But we don't interfere with commerce. And didn't the base soldiers shop in town before the trouble started?"

The man scowled. "Yeah, they did." He stopped sweeping. "Look, I'm not going to betray my neighbors. They're good people; they've got their own reasons for doing things. But there're folks in the next town over, to the east, who are always stirring up trouble. They come around trying to get our young men involved in the fighting. We don't need that. Put a stop to that and maybe folks here would be willing to talk to you." He clamped his lips together and resumed sweeping, clearing intending to say no more.

Zechs returned to his mobile suit. "Sheldon, let's take the east leg of the patrol first. There might be a rebel cell in the next town trying to recruit more guerillas."

"Right."

They marched out of town and struck out across country again. The quietness bothered Zechs. This was a populous region and although they passed people, working in fields or traveling along unpaved roads, it seemed like they didn't even notice the giant mobile suits moving past them.

They moved out into an open field. It had been cultivated, but recent fighting had torn up the ground and destroyed the crops. Treize had compensated the farmers, but there was still angry talk over the loss. That crop would have supplied much of the winter feed for the local herds. The residents feared they would have to slaughter animals that might otherwise starve, reducing herd sizes in a region that could ill afford it. The Alliance forces were not looked on with favor, although in Zechs' opinion, the rebels were equally to blame.

Dark forest rose up on the far side of the field, rumpling as it rose up into low hills. The Luxembourg forces had cleared that forest of rebels their third week in the Balkans. Zechs trained his long range viewer on the forest and scanned the edge. Nothing. Then the view screen went black as something rose up in his line of sight less than one hundred meters away. He had his rifle up and firing even before he dropped to normal view. All around them, rebel mobile suits were rising up out of holes in the ground. It was an ambush!

"Alpha 3-5! Alpha 3-5! We're under attack!" Sheldon screamed into his radio. "This is Bravo 6-6! We're under attack!"

Zechs backed up toward Sheldon, firing as he went. He risked a glance and saw Sheldon moving toward him. Maybe they had a chance if they stood together. The rebels only had machine guns. Zechs and Sheldon blazed away at them with their laser rifles, ripping holes through the older model suits the rebels were using. Back to back, they held the rebel soldiers at bay, but they were taking damage. Zechs felt bullets rip through his cockpit and tear into his side. His suit listed as he lost some motor control on the left side.

"You bastards!" Sheldon screamed. "I'll kill you all, you sons of bitches! You ain't takin' me down, goddamn you!" He was firing wildly.

"Sheldon!" Zechs screamed at him. "Pick your targets! Don't waste your shots!" Zechs put a clean shot through a rebel cockpit and grunted in satisfaction as the mobile suit exploded, but his side felt sticky and warm and Zechs realized he was losing blood. "Hold on, Sheldon! Treize will get here! We just have to hold on!"

For a moment, it looked like they were getting ahead of the rebels. Two more guerillas went down with black smoke billowing above bright red flame. But then more mobile suits appeared, charging across the field from the forest. Zechs tried not to think as he trained his rifle on the new targets. Had they held out long enough? Had there been enough time for rescue forces to reach them? He couldn't tell. Time never ran normally in a fight. It could have been seconds; it could have been hours. He just kept firing.

Sheldon's sudden scream was deafening. Zechs knew the meaning of that horrible, tearing sound. It was a death cry. He'd heard it before in his youth during the fall of the Sanc Kingdom. A shattering explosion knocked him through the air. Zechs felt a moment of deep regret that he was dying without saying goodbye to Treize and then his suit slammed into the ground, knocking him unconscious.

-o-o-o-

Cole's squad was already in the field when the call for help came in. He responded immediately, racing to aid Sheldon and Zechs without waiting for Treize's orders. Une's squad and the four patrols on night duty raced for their mobile suits in the carrier. Treize was issuing orders even as he strapped into his own cockpit.

"Bravos 6-2, 6-4 and 6-8, return to base! Watch your backs! Alpha 3-1, where are you?"

"Almost there, Commander!" Cole answered. "Two minutes!"

Treize swore to himself as he drove out of the carrier and broke into a run. The rebels had never attacked a patrol in broad daylight before. The location didn't make any sense either. They were in the middle of an empty field. There was nothing of value nearby. There was no cover for a hidden rebel base. It made no sense at all. Ahead of him, Une's squad raced into the open fields. They could see the smoke rising from the battlefield now. It was much closer to the base than Treize expected. Why would rebels attack a patrol so close to the base? He pushed the suit as hard as he could, demanding every ounce of speed it could give him.

He arrived at the scene in time to see Cole's squad chasing the guerillas into the forest on the far side of the field. A part of his mind counted seven of them as the rogue mobile suits raced into the shelter of the trees, but mentally and emotionally, he'd already dismissed them. His attention was focused on the smoking wreckage of two mobile suits. Treize's heart stopped at the sight of Zechs' crushed Leo. He could see that it was more or less intact, but it lay smashed into the ground, with smoke curling up from more places than he could count. He drove his suit close to Zechs' and leaped down while the door was still dropping open. He scrambled up to the fallen Leo's cockpit door and kicked the emergency release. The door started to open, caught, moved a little farther and then seized up.

"No!" Treize cried. He scrambled around to the narrow opening and gripped it with both hands. Squatting down, he pulled with strength amplified by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. With a shriek of metallic protest, the door shifted slightly. "Aughh!" Treize screamed in inarticulate rage and fear and jerked on the resisting panel with superhuman strength. There was a tremendous crack and the door ripped free, crashing over and sliding to the ground. He immediately lowered himself into the cockpit, balancing carefully on the back wall and the control panel.

The left side of the cockpit was caved in and Zechs looked as if that entire side of his body was broken. The hair on the left side of his head was matted with blood. His uniform was soaked with it. Treize stopped breathing.

"Oh god, no!" he whispered. "Please, no!" Carefully, he reached down to touch his fingers against Zechs' throat. At his touch, Zechs' eyelids fluttered and opened. Tears streamed unnoticed down Treize's cheeks. "It's all right, Zechs," he whispered. "I'm here."

Zechs' lips moved. Treize twisted down so he could put his ear close enough to hear what Zechs was trying to say. Zechs' lips brushed against Treize's ear as he spoke, his breath warm against Treize's skin.

"I'm sorry… I couldn't… save him…"

Treize closed his eyes. Fury was fast consuming the fear within him. He lifted his head and shouted, "Where's the goddamn medic?"

"He's here," Une answered. She was leaning over the open cockpit, watching him. Another face appeared beside her.

"I need to get in there, sir," the medic, Dal Yazumi, said.

Reluctantly, Treize climbed out and let Dal take his place. "I want him out of there as soon as possible," he ordered as he moved aside.

"I have to stabilize him first, sir." But Dal was already ignoring him, focused on his patient.

Treize looked around the horizon anxiously. "Where's the fucking med-evac?"

"It's on the way, Treize." Une put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "Sheldon's dead."

Treize closed his eyes again, murmuring a brief prayer for the soul of his fallen comrade. Then his eyes snapped open as a thought suddenly struck him. "They were ambushed," he announced grimly.

"How is that possible?" asked Une. "You changed the patrol this morning. There is no way the enemy could have planned an ambush of this size that quickly. Zechs and Sheldon must have stumbled on them by accident."

"No," Treize shook his head, staring at Sheldon's dismembered Leo to avoid looking at Zechs. "If the guerillas had been surprised, they would have run, rather than wait to find out if these two were alone. They knew Zechs and Sheldon didn't have backup nearby. They knew exactly where to wait for them so they could take them by surprise." Treize looked toward where the guerillas had retreated. "Someone betrayed us and he'll pay for it with his blood."

They both turned at the sound of engines. The med-evac flew as close to them as possible before settling to the ground in a vertical landing. Below them in the crushed cockpit, Dal was issuing terse orders into the communicator mounted on his shoulder. As a team emerged from the med-evac and raced toward them with a stretcher, Treize finally looked back down at Zechs. Dal had extricated Zechs' limbs from the wreckage and applied tourniquets and bandages. Treize knew there was nothing else he could do here and that he needed to be doing other things, but it was hard to tear himself away. The thought of losing Zechs made him feel empty inside. The need to hold him and comfort him was a physical pain that ached through his whole body. With an effort, he dragged himself away and jumped to the ground.

"I want Sheldon's body cut out of there and returned to Luxembourg for burial," he ordered Une. "And get some personnel out here to transport what's left of these mobile suits back to Luxembourg as well. We can scrap them for parts. I don't want so much as a bolt left for the guerillas to use."

Une nodded and moved off, barking orders into her communicator. Treize watched the medics load Zechs carefully onto the stretcher and hurry back to the med-evac. He climbed into his Leo as it lifted off and thumbed on his radio. A chatter of voices immediately spilled out.

"I got your back, Yuki! Take him!"

"Take left! I'll go right!"

"He's down! He's down!"

Treize listened as Cole's team finished the battle and began mopping up. Then he flipped on his mike. "Alpha 3-5 returning to base." Une immediately ordered three people to escort him, but he didn't respond. He had other concerns on his mind. Leaving her to handle the cleanup, Treize headed back to the carrier. He needed a secure channel for his next communication.


	9. Recovery

**Warning**: _Once again, this chapter contains strong sexual content. There's a little harsh language, too._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 9: **Recovery**

Zechs was floating in darkness. _Am I dead?_, he wondered. He remembered the ambush, the rogue mobile suits springing up from nowhere all around them and Sheldon screaming for backup. The battle was painfully clear in his mind. He might have escaped if he'd been alone, but he knew Sheldon couldn't keep up with him if he ran and Zechs refused to abandon a comrade, even to save his own life. They had managed to get back to back, but they were too outnumbered; the outcome was inevitable. He remembered Sheldon going down, the terrible scream of agony as his Leo blew apart. Zechs suspected it was the explosion from Sheldon's suit that had knocked him flying and driven him into the ground, but he wasn't sure. He remembered little after that.

Except that he thought he remembered hearing Treize's voice and trying to apologize for his failure. The thought of Treize filled him with regret. He had let Treize down. And now he was dead and he would never see Treize again.

But this cottony limbo was not what he had expected after death. Nor was the dull ache that was starting to radiate from somewhere on his left side, trying to blossom into full-fledged pain. Then the left side of his head started to throb. He moaned.

"Are you in pain, Lieutenant?"

He was definitely not dead. He tried to answer, but his throat did not appear to work right. He managed a croaking sound. Now he could hear the soft hum and click of machinery around him and the sound of rubber soles scuffing across a vinyl floor.

"This should help," said the same friendly female voice.

An instant later, soothing relief washed through his body and the pain receded. He decided to try opening his eyes. Dim light greeted blurred vision and he blinked several times, trying to bring the world into focus. The nurse appeared in his field of view and he shifted his focus to her handsome brown face.

"Would you like some water, Lieutenant?"

"Yes," he croaked, surprised that he'd gotten out a recognizable word.

She reached for something out of his view and produced a cup with an angled straw, which she held against his lips. He sipped the water, savoring its coolness as it moistened the inside of his mouth and washed the gritty feel from his throat.

"Thank you." His voice sounded almost normal.

"I'll go tell Commander Kushranada you're awake. He's been very worried." The nurse patted his shoulder and smiled before disappearing.

Zechs closed his eyes and smiled too. Treize was worried about him! He let the painkiller soothe him back to sleep.

-o-o-o-

"The nurse told me you were awake."

The sound of Treize's voice pulled Zechs instantly out of his doze. His eyes flew open and he stared up at Treize's face, delighted by the sight. But then he remembered what had happened and dismay struck him.

"I'm sorry, Treize. I shouldn't have been taken by surprise. I cost Sheldon his life."

"No, you didn't," Treize answered gently. "You never had a chance. You probably kept Sheldon alive longer than anyone else could have." He touched Zechs' right cheek with his fingertips. "Don't blame yourself."

Then he leaned over until his face was so close that all Zechs could see were his dark, beautiful, worried eyes. "Don't ever do this to me again, Zechs," he whispered. "You're the only thing in this world that truly matters to me."

He touched his lips to Zechs' in the gentlest, most loving kiss Zechs had ever experienced. He closed his eyes and fell in love with Treize all over again.

"Is Lieutenant Merquise awake, Lord Treize?"

Treize straightened up quickly, his eyes catching Zechs' for a moment before turning to answer Lady Une standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Lady Une, but he is still quite weak."

He stepped aside so Une had a clear view of Zechs and he of her. There was an odd look on her face and Zechs wondered if she realized they had been kissing. Knowing how she felt about Treize, he doubted she would take such knowledge well.

"It is good to see you recovering, Count Merquise," was all she said, however. Her eyes shifted back to Treize. "General Catalonia has called an emergency staff meeting."

Treize nodded. "Thank you, Une. I'll be right there."

Une saluted and left, pulling the door shut behind her. Treize looked back down at Zechs.

"Get well quickly, Zechs. I'm going to need you."

"I'm always at your service, Lord Kushranada."

-o-o-o-o-o-

In the hallway outside Zechs' room, Treize became all business to keep Une from asking any questions. If she suspected he had been kissing Zechs, he did not want to confirm it for her by behaving oddly.

"Did the General give any indication what the meeting is about?"

"Not specifically, but I suspect it has to do with the ambush."

"That happened over two weeks ago," Treize snapped. "I gave him a full report three days later and he's only ready to talk about it now?"

Une gave him a level look. "You know the general is very busy. The attack on Count Merquise was followed by a sharp upswing in rebel attacks."

"I know that!" Treize made an effort to keep his voice level. "But I lost a man! I think that is more important than a bunch of memory chips disappearing from some damn truck."

"The general has to look at the bigger picture."

"Fuck the bigger picture!" Treize growled. He stalked ahead of Une angrily. He was angry about losing Sheldon. The name of each person who died under his charge was permanently engraved in Treize's memory. And if Zechs' name got added to that list… Treize didn't want to think about that. He glared back over his shoulder at Une. "We're lucky we didn't lose Zechs, too. The general needs to understand. It's one thing to lose material; it's something else entirely to lose people. Lives are irreplaceable!"

Treize marched ahead of Une as they left the hospital and headed for the Administration building. He was glad to be back in Luxembourg, but the reason still made his heart skip a beat. After the ambush, Zechs had been put into an induced coma while they waited for swelling in his brain to subside. The doctors had tried to hide their concern from Treize, but Treize knew exactly how serious Zechs' condition was. When Zechs was stabilized, he was transferred back to the hospital at Luxembourg and Treize had brought the entire unit home, with the general's concurrence. A full division of Alliance troops had been transferred to Pancevo to suppress the rebels, but Treize doubted the results. The general was missing something; Treize was sure of it.

The officers already assembled in the briefing room whispered nervously to one another as they waited for the general to arrive. Treize regarded their obvious show of worry with faint contempt. Now was not the time to worry. Now was the time to take firm charge of the situation and bring it under control. He took his seat without speaking to anyone. Following his example, Une sat silently beside him.

Clearly not taking the hint, one of the junior officers approached Treize uncertainly. "Do you know what the meeting is about, Commander?"

"If I do, I hardly plan on discussing it prior to the general's arrival," Treize replied coldly. "Why don't you take your seat and wait?"

The young man flushed and retreated to a chair farther down the table. Someone murmured a question at him, but he shook his head in response, his eyes flicking toward Treize and then down to the table in front of him. More eyes fell on Treize and he returned the stares with a sharp glare. Under the weight of his open disapproval, the others moved to take their seats. The last had just sat down when the general marched in, trailed by his aide.

"Ladies and gentlemen," General Catalonia began without preamble, "I shouldn't have to tell you, we're in a right mess." He took his seat as the aide moved to lower the lights and bring up the overhead display. "I've suspected from the beginning that these rebel attacks and thefts were being coordinated. I'm now fairly certain that they are receiving help from within the Alliance itself."

This statement was greeted with surprise.

"Surely not, General!" Commander Blacow exclaimed. Blacow had also graduated from the Victoria Base Academy, a few years ahead of Treize. "I could imagine one or two traitors working alone, but a coordinated effort?"

"Too many of these incidents required inside information, Commander," the general responded. "It's possible that our computer systems were plundered, but I have had our systems analysts running intrusion detection day and night. No one has gotten in. The rebels are getting information through other channels and they're getting a lot of it. It can't be just one or two individuals and it's not just random information." General Catalonia nodded to his aide and an image appeared on the big screen. "I think most of you are familiar with the area outside Pancevo Base."

Treize frowned. The image showed the field where Zechs and Sheldon had been attacked. The large holes where the guerilla mobile suits had lain hidden were fully exposed.

"We did dozens of sweeps through this area prior to the attack. How did these holes get missed?"

"They weren't there before?" someone ventured.

"Precisely!" General Catalonia slapped the table. "These holes were made the night before the attack." The image changed to one showing the same field without the holes. "This satellite image shows the same field two days before. This ambush was planned. They knew Commander Kushranada's team regularly went through this field. These holes were dug and manned the night before with the knowledge that the next day's patrol would go through that field."

Treize leaned forward. "General, the night patrols would have discovered a force of that size moving into position."

"Not if those rebel forces knew the precise location of the night patrols." The general also leaned forward and pinned his eyes on Treize. "They had inside help. I'm sure of it."

"I agree, but it still makes no sense to me that they would commit that much of their resources to ambush two men."

"It was their bad luck that one of those men was Lieutenant Merquise," General Catalonia said. "Had it been anyone else, they would likely have finished them off quickly and gotten away before reinforcements arrived. We would have been left to wonder how we lost a patrol so close to Pancevo: a demoralizing blow for Alliance forces and a boost for the rebels."

"Perhaps."

"But if there are traitors in the Alliance, how are we going to catch them?" asked the young officer who had spoken to Treize.

"That's why I'm going to Pancevo myself," the general replied. "I'm taking several units of Specials to assume command of all aspects of Pancevo Base operations. We will cut the traitors off from their normal channels of communication. They will be forced into the open if they want to keep operating. Commander Kushranada, you will assume command of the forces remaining at Luxembourg."

"Yes, General."

Treize did not wait to talk to the general after the meeting. He was still irritated. He knew part of his problem was not being able to discuss it with Zechs. He liked bouncing his thoughts off of Zechs and getting his opinions. Zechs had a way of looking at things that helped Treize see through problems. He stopped abruptly and turned to Une.

"Lady Une, I'm going back to the hospital to speak to Zechs. Would you please find Cole and tell him about the briefing? He probably should have been there."

"Yes, Commander." Une saluted and hurried away.

Treize watched her go with a frown. Une felt like his right arm sometimes, completely indispensable. But at other times, her presence was faintly distressing. _I need Zechs,_ Treize thought. _I need to be alone with him._

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was a relief to be out of the hospital. Zechs looked around his small room in the barracks. Someone had cleaned it for him, because there wasn't a trace of dust anywhere. It was just like Treize to remember the small details. Zechs was tired and it annoyed him. The walk from the car to his room wasn't that long, but it had left him winded. His injury and the long recovery had left him horribly out of shape. He would have to work hard to get back into fighting trim. He pulled the chair out from his small desk and sat, but stood again immediately when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find Treize leaning against the frame with one hand, the other resting on his hip.

"How do you feel?" Treize asked promptly.

"I'm fine, Treize. Come in." Zechs stepped aside so Treize could enter. He glanced into the hall to make sure it was empty before closing the door behind him. "I'm ready if you need me," he added.

"No you're not," Treize replied good-naturedly. "You've been bedridden for a month. I'll give you a few weeks to get back into shape."

Zechs frowned and flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "I hate this," he growled. "There's a war going on and I should be out there with you."

"You will be." Treize seated himself in the chair. "Anyway, it's a lull right now. The rebels are regrouping after we kicked their butts in Miloscz. We think they're running low on supplies, so we've beefed up the security around all the storage facilities in the region. You have some time."

"That's a relief." Zechs rolled his head to the side and looked at Treize through the curtain of his bangs. His hair had grown in the hospital, it seemed. "Have you replaced Sheldon yet?"

"Not yet. Since I can't get my first choice, I'm taking my time."

"Who's your first choice?"

"Lucretzia Noin. Do you know her? She was in your class. She spent her junior year in cadet training with me in the Colonies. She's an instructor at the Victoria Base Academy now and I haven't been able to convince her to leave."

Zechs smiled. "Of course I know Noin. She was second in my class. I barely beat her at the alumni games last year. We're good friends." He sat up on one elbow. "She used to talk about you all the time. I was terribly jealous."

Treize looked surprised. "Why would you be jealous? You know you're the only one I love."

"Yes, but she got to spend time with you. I was jealous of anyone who got to spend time with you." Zechs sat up. "Can you stay for a while?"

"You just got out of the hospital, Zechs. I think we should wait a little longer before we…"

Zechs interrupted him with a low growl. "I won't break, Treize, but if you don't make love with me right now, I WILL go insane."

Treize blinked once and then moved to the bed. He put his arm around Zechs' waist and kissed him. Zechs put his arms around Treize's shoulders, sliding his fingers up into the soft brown curls of Treize's hair, and pulled Treize's mouth hard against his, kissing hungrily. Treize had come to see him every day in the hospital, which had been wonderful and maddening at the same time. Arousal washed through him and he ached with need.

"Zechs," Treize murmured. "I haven't touched you in over a month. You were in a coma for nearly two weeks. I'm not going to risk hurting you for a moment of pleasure."

"Not fucking me is hurting me!" Zechs groaned. "And if you only spend a moment on this, I'll never speak to you again!" He pressed his open mouth against Treize's neck and sucked eagerly.

Treize groaned. "Oh, god! Please, Zechs, you need to take time to recover!"

Zechs grabbed Treize's hand and jammed it against his crotch. "This part of me is recovered just fine," he moaned. "I'm sure all the neighboring parts are in perfect working order as well." He leaned back and looked into Treize's eyes. "I need you so much right now I can't think! Show me how glad you are I'm not dead!"

Treize stared at him for a moment, then pushed Zechs over onto his back and undid his trousers. "I didn't bring any lubricant."

"There's some in my desk drawer."

Treize leaned across and opened the drawer. He chuckled softly. "My favorite brand!"

"It's longer lasting," Zechs purred.

"I only planned to stop by here for a minute to see how you were doing."

"Then you should stop wasting time." Zechs quickly took off his pants, leaned back, grabbed his knees and lifted his feet up into the air.

Treize pushed his own pants down and slipped under Zechs' heels. He squeezed the lubricant onto his fingers and applied it slowly. Zechs gasped softly. "You're tight again," Treize murmured.

"I don't care. You'll open me up. I want something bigger than your fingers in there!"

Treize moved against Zechs' bottom and began to push himself in. Zechs pulled his knees down to his chest, lifting his hips so Treize could get into him more deeply. Treize leaned low over him and pushed in farther. Zechs groaned aloud. It had been a long time and Treize's big erection felt like it was splitting him open. He made a conscious effort to relax and then Treize drove all the way into him. Zechs' mouth fell open and he gasped aloud in sheer pleasure. Every deep, hard thrust was a spear of utter ecstasy. He clung to Treize's arms, his fingers digging into the hard muscles. Treize kept pounding against him, driving himself in over and over until Zechs was gasping helplessly. Orgasm wracked him and he arched up stiffly against Treize's pelvis. It felt like his cock would never stop spurting and each pulsing explosion submerged him in another wave of pleasure.

Treize rested on his hands afterward, breathing hard. "Zechs Merquise, you are the only man I know who can make me act against my better judgment." He lowered Zechs' legs from his shoulders and settled onto his elbows.

Zechs smiled, stroking his fingers down the middle of Treize's back. "You said I needed to get back in shape. I think regular sexual activity will improve my stamina and flexibility tremendously.' He wrapped his legs around Treize. "And I truly did need you." He met Treize's eyes. "Do you know what I was most afraid of, when I thought I was going to die with Sheldon?" Treize shook his head. "I was afraid I would never see you again."

Treize gazed at him in silence for a moment before lowering his head to kiss Zechs gently. "I was afraid of the same thing," he said softly. He kissed Zechs again and then pushed up onto his hands, pulling out of Zechs at the same time. Looking down at the front of his uniform, he shook his head in dismay. "How am I going to explain this? You've soaked me." He smiled as he spoke.

Zechs nodded toward the little sink embedded in the side wall. "Rinse it off and tell anyone who asks that I was sick. I just got out of hospital. They'll believe it."

Treize nodded. "It'll have to do." He moved to the sink to clean up. "I want you to start attending the daily briefings, even though I won't have you resume your regular duties for a few weeks. I want you up to speed."

"Yes, sir," Zechs replied. He grabbed his pants and pulled them back on. "I won't let you down again."

"You didn't let me down, Zechs." Treize turned off the water and came over to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If you had died, that would have been letting me down." He leaned close and favored Zechs with a long and gentle kiss. "Today's briefing is in one hour. Don't be late."

Zechs stared after him long after he was gone.

-o-o-o-

"Lieutenant Merquise! It's good to see you back on your feet!" Cole clapped Zechs on the back and clasped his hand in a firm shake at the same time. "We've missed you on the battlefield, my friend."

"I'm sorry to have missed it," Zechs replied. "I feel like I've let you all down."

Cole shook his head. "It was a tough break, Lieutenant. We were lucky not to lose you."

"It wasn't luck," Dmitri Wakov interrupted. "I saw how many rebels you and Sheldon took down before the end. You almost had them. You're one hell of a fighter, Zechs."

"Thanks."

Treize walked in at that moment with Une at his elbow and waved everyone to their seats. "Sit down, please. Let's get started. As you can see, Lieutenant Merquise is out of the hospital. He's not yet back on full duty, but he's got some catching up to do."

Zechs noticed a slight frown on Une's face as her eyes fell on him, but she nodded a silent greeting before taking her seat.

"Have you heard anything new from General Catalonia?" Cole asked.

"No. Things are suspiciously quiet in Pancevo right now. In fact, there isn't a lot of rebel activity going on anywhere on Earth."

"Has it picked up in space?" Zechs asked promptly.

Treize smiled grimly. "You haven't lost your touch, Lieutenant. There has been an increase in insurgency in the Colonies in contrast to the relative calm on Earth. Unfortunately, that means the eyes of many in the senior command are turning outward. I'm afraid our Earth-based rebels will use this opportunity to start planning their next series of attacks. Although they've been focused on Pancevo, we can't assume the next round of trouble will start there. Your thoughts?" Treize looked around the table.

Cole rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, with a third of the Luxembourg command down in Pancevo, our own region isn't getting the attention it normally would. We should probably increase patrols around all the bases with units deployed elsewhere."

Treize nodded. "Good idea. Anything else?"

"Monitor the activities of all scientists," Une said. "Many of them openly support independence movements in their own countries and may not be above aiding the rebels with technical expertise."

"That might be difficult, but let's look into it anyway." Treize frowned slightly. "We should monitor diplomats and minor government officials as well, for the same reason. I don't believe the current lull is permanent. We need to be ready for whatever is coming next."

Zechs watched Treize's face as a few more suggestions were made. He was sure Treize was keeping something to himself, but he decided not to ask about it until they had a chance to discuss it alone. The thought made him smile to himself. With a lull in rebel activity and a third of the base deployed to Pancevo, there should be ample opportunities for the two of them to be alone together. Zechs looked forward to being able to spend many nights in Treize's bed.


	10. Trouble Brewing

**Warning**: _Surprise! This chapter contains strong sexual content. I mean, really strong. And I'm getting right to it._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 10: **Trouble Brewing**

The rebels had been quiet for three months, but Treize didn't find any comfort in that. Quiet just meant he did not know what they were up to. Of course, on the plus side, the relative calm meant he and Zechs could spend a lot of time together. In fact, Zechs spent more time in Treize's room than his own. At the moment, he was draped across Treize's bare chest, his left cheek resting in the hollow of Treize's right shoulder, his right hand tucked under Treize's left arm. His hair flowed like a satin sheet across Treize's stomach.

Treize loved these quiet, post-coital moments almost as much as the sexual frenzy that preceded them. Making love with Zechs was exhausting, but it was always incredibly satisfying. Incongruously, he sometimes found it easier to think about work at times like this, even with Zechs' naked body sprawled across his.

"You think there's going to be trouble." Zechs' quiet statement made Treize smile. At times, he suspected the young Count of hearing his thoughts.

"Yes, I do. You know I've been keeping track of thefts?" Zechs nodded, his hair tickling Treize's chin. "Well, I haven't just been tracking thefts of military equipment, or large-scale thefts. I've been monitoring everything, on and off Earth. People have been stealing everything from spare parts to ammo, motors, conduit, copper wire, even welding equipment."

Zechs lifted his head and frowned at Treize. "That sounds like someone's planning to build something."

"Um hmm," Treize nodded. "Like maybe a manufacturing plant so they can build a lot of somethings."

"Like mobile suits."

"Exactly."

"Did you tell General Catalonia?"

"I discussed my concerns with him. He wants more definitive proof. I think the proof will appear when a whole bunch of mobile suits attack us out of nowhere."

Zechs sat up and straddled Treize. He began rolling his hips back and forth, rubbing his groin up and down Treize's cock until it started to engorge. "Do you have any idea where the attack might happen?" he asked calmly, as if he were not slowly driving Treize insane.

"I think…" Treize began and then paused, because suddenly he was not thinking at all. With an effort, he tried to focus his attention away from the arousal that was trying to engulf him. "I still think Pancevo is the target," he finally managed to get out.

"But that's where the general is," Zechs replied, apparently not distracted in the least by what he was doing, nor by his own rather obvious arousal. "There are a lot of forces there now, including the Specials."

"Which is precisely why a victory there would be a big one for the rebels." Treize closed his eyes. His train of thought was getting seriously derailed. "But that's also why I'm not sure. It's entirely possible this is just a prelude to a Colony uprising. Ahhhh!" He gasped helplessly as Zechs rose up and guided Treize's erection into himself.

Treize gave up. Once Zechs was in the mood, Treize had little choice but to accommodate him, in no small part because, once Zechs started touching him, the need to couple forced every other thought from Treize's mind. He pulled Zechs down against him, bent his knees and dug his heels into the mattress so he could drive himself into Zechs with powerful thrusts of his hips. Zechs nuzzled his neck, moaning softly.

Treize had had other lovers before Zechs, but no one had ever felt as good as Zechs did. Loving Zechs as deeply as he did, having intercourse with him made Treize feel complete in a way that nothing else did. Only fencing came close. In fact, Zechs was the only person Treize would rather bed than duel. But tonight, with all thoughts of rebels and combat driven from his mind by the exquisite pleasure of fucking Zechs, Treize let himself exist only for love. As pent up need and overwhelming pleasure exploded into orgasm, he pressed his lips against Zechs' ear and whispered, "I love you, my Lightning Count."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Treize," Une said sharply, "nothing is happening on Earth. The rebels have moved out into space to build support for their activities. The Colonies are full of people who think independence from the Alliance is the answer. They are ripe for exploitation. We should have our best people out there." She stood in front of the desk in Treize's office with her arms folded under her breasts. Her rigid posture radiated dissatisfaction.

Treize rubbed his temples with his fingertips, trying to quiet the pounding in his head but knowing full well that what he really needed was an aspirin. He spoke quietly, to keep his headache from throbbing any harder.

"Une, I'm not splitting the unit and I'm not sending anyone into space."

Une's tightly braided hair pulled all the softness out of her face. The glasses she favored when she was in these dark moods partially shielded her eyes. Her lips pressed together into a thin line, showing her disapproval of his statement.

"But you've said yourself that Zechs Merquise is the most skilled mobile suit pilot in the Specials. They could use him in the Colonies. They're fighting up there right now."

Treize was not sure he was arguing with her only because he disagreed or if it was also because he didn't want to be separated from Zechs. But something in his gut told him that now was a bad time to send Zechs off Earth. And even though Une's arguments had merit, he was also not sure that she wasn't recommending it simply to separate them. He had first noticed the change in her personality after she caught him kissing Zechs in the hospital. The change had become quite pronounced, leading to the hard, fierce woman facing him now, five days ago, when she had come to his room very early that morning with orders from General Catalonia and found Zechs there.

Thank god they hadn't still been in bed. In fact, Zechs had been completely dressed, except for his boots and un-brushed hair. Treize, however, had still been in his underwear, shaving. They might have managed a semi-plausible explanation, but Une had not asked for one. She had simply stared from one to the other for a moment with a shocked look on her face, then handed Treize his orders and retreated hastily down the hall.

Since then, she had been brusque with him and Zechs. But she was an exemplary officer and pilot, and Treize still considered her a friend. He just didn't know how to explain to her, or if he should even try to explain to her, that he was in love with Zechs but he would never let that influence his decisions. Zechs was his best pilot and a superior tactician. Treize relied on that, just as he relied on Une for her skills. And if he needed to send Zechs to fight in the Colonies, he would do that, if and when the time came. But now was not that time. He folded his hands on the desk in front of him and met Une's harsh gaze.

"The fighting in the Colonies is just the usual squabbling. I've been keeping an eye on it. If it gets worse, we will have warning enough to get reinforcements out there. In the meantime, I am still concerned about events here on Earth. I am keeping our unit on standby so we can respond quickly the moment there is trouble."

"Very well." Her response was as stiffly unbending as her posture.

As the door swung closed behind her, Treize dropped his pounding head into his hands. He almost hoped rebellion would break out somewhere just to give his soldiers something to do. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, rubbing them until he saw stars.

"Do you want me to get something for your head?"

Treize looked up with a smile at the sound of Zechs' voice. "No, seeing you is comfort enough."

Zechs smiled and came around the desk to stand behind Treize's chair. He began to rub his thumbs firmly along the ridgelines of Treize's head while squeezing his forehead. Treize closed his eyes with a deep sigh and let the soothing pressure ease the pain away.

"I saw Une leaving," Zechs said as he massaged.

"She thinks I should send you to stamp out troublemakers in the Colonies."

"There are already Specials out there."

"Yes, but she thinks you should be one of them."

"Just me?" Zechs shifted the position of his hands to rub Treize's temples and massage the base of his skull.

"She's been… odd since she saw us together the other morning."

"She suspects us?"

"I think so." Treize sighed. "I'm afraid we've allowed ourselves to become indiscreet. I shouldn't let you spend so much time in my room."

"Do you think she'll tell anyone?"

"No. Une is personally loyal to me. She would never betray my trust, even if she thought I was doing something wrong."

"And she probably realizes revealing our affair would only hurt you."

"How so?"

"Because an affair between soldiers is always the senior officer's fault." Zechs leaned down and kissed Treize on the forehead. "You are risking your rank and career. The worst they would do to me is reprimand me for not reporting you and then ship me off to the Moon to separate us." He resumed the massage. "Besides, we've always known that sooner or later we would have to stop."

Treize opened his eyes and reached up to catch Zech's hands. He turned in the chair and pulled Zechs around in front of him. "It doesn't bother you to think of our relationship ending?"

"Our relationship will never end, Treize," Zechs answered. His blue eyes looked deeper than the ocean. "You will always be a part of my life. Serving under you is as important to me as sharing your bed. Being with you has made me happy and I never thought I would feel that emotion again. And I will always love you."

Tossing discretion to the wind, Treize pulled Zechs down into his lap and kissed him deeply. Zechs put his arms around Treize's neck and kissed him back warmly. Then he looked into Treize's eyes with a smile.

"Headache gone?"

"Yes. You're always good for what ails me." Treize kissed him again and then let Zechs slip out of his lap. Treize stood up. "Something's going to break soon, Zechs. I can feel it in my bones."

Zechs grinned at him. "Then wouldn't it be better to have me conveniently close by when it happens? Say, sleeping next to you?"

Treize shook his head with a smile. "It's hard to argue with that logic." He waved his hand toward the door. "Let's go have dinner. I have a feeling I'm going to need the energy later."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize wondered how many people besides Une suspected he was sleeping with Zechs. Every morning since he had been placed in charge at Luxembourg, the junior officer on duty on the overnight shift would bring him a summary report of the night's activities. Of course, the same reports were always waiting in detail on his desk, but Treize always wanted to know as soon as possible if there were any matters that required his immediate attention. But quite frequently, when the officer arrived with the report, Zechs would be in Treize's room. Most of the time, Treize simply accepted the report and sent the officer on his or her way without discussion. But every once in a while, something in the report would catch Treize's eye, or the officer would bring something to his attention, and that was when Zechs' presence would become obvious.

The morning after his discussion with Une about sending Zechs to the Colonies, the night duty officer arrived with the morning report right after Treize and Zechs finished dressing. Zechs was seated at Treize's desk scanning the news headlines on his console while Treize finished putting on his boots when the officer, Lieutenant Matthews, knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Lieutenant Matthews stepped in and saluted smartly before holding the report out to Treize. He remained at attention with his eyes focused on Treize expectantly.

Treize scanned the report briefly and his eyes lit up. "Zechs! Good news! We get to do final acceptance testing on the new Aries model flying mobile suit. They've finally released the prototype from systems test."

Zechs turned around with a broad grin. "Oh yeah? You're going to let me do that, right? I am your best pilot."

"You'll have to sit through a system review with the engineers. And they'll probably want to do a bunch of pre-flight testing with you before they let you take it up."

"I can stand it. I've wanted to fly one of those suits since I first read about it at the Academy two years ago."

"I thought you'd say that." Treize grinned back. "I'll put your name down." He scanned the rest of the report and his smile turned to a frown. "Dammit! Another ground transport was hijacked last night."

"Military or civilian?" Zechs asked immediately. He stood up and leaned across the bed to read over Treize's shoulder.

"Civilian. A truck convoy moving processed chrome steel bars to a manufacturing plant in Vilnius."

"That fits with the other thefts you've documented." Zechs glanced at Treize, his face only inches away. "Do you think it's enough to convince the general?"

"I don't know. I hope so." Treize looked at Zechs. This close together, he could smell the musky scent of Zechs' skin and excitement stirred briefly. Treize turned back to Lieutenant Matthews. "Thank you, Lieutenant. That will be all."

Lieutenant Matthews saluted sharply and left, closing the door behind him.

Treize handed the report to Zechs so he could finish putting on his boots. "After breakfast, I want to go over all these thefts again. Vilnius isn't that close to Pancevo, but it's on the same continent. There has to be a way to show that it's possible all this stolen material is ending up in the same region. If I can do that, the general will have to listen to me."

Zechs nodded. "Let's go to your office. We can have breakfast brought to us there and save time."

"Good idea." Treize stood up and fixed his eyes on Zechs. "Things are coming to a head Zechs, I just know it. The thing I fear most right now is that we won't be ready for it."

Zechs came around the bed and put his arms around Treize's waist. "I have faith in you Treize. We all do. Every man and woman on this base would follow you into hell and never look back."

Treize stared at Zechs' beautiful face for several heartbeats and then kissed him deeply. "That faith is what drives me. Let's get to work."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Zechs was enjoying himself. The new Aries flying mobile suit was keeping up with him nicely. He flipped into a tight roll and dove toward the ground, snapping out level at one hundred meters with guns blazing. He obliterated the wooden target on the ground and pulled up sharply, spinning around to shoot behind him at the remains of the same target as he climbed.

"Having fun?" Treize asked dryly. Beneath his amused voice, Zechs could hear a babble of other voices on the radio.

"Yes, I am," he replied. "The engineers have done a good job with this model."

"Glad to hear that. I was just informed that we'll be getting four of the first production models, assuming they're still speaking to me after you've flown their prototype into the ground."

"Please!" Zechs exclaimed with wounded pride. "It won't even have a scratch."

He heeled over and plunged earthward at full speed. A wingspan from the ground, he pulled out and flew sideways for two hundred meters, firing his laser at a row of simulated mobile suits. He scored hits on all ten and shot back up into the sky as the babble from the radio increased in volume.

"I'm coming in."

By the time he made his landing and swung down to the tarmac, Treize, Une, Cole and several engineers were on their way across the tarmac to meet him. Most of the engineers just hurried past him, anxious to see what he had done to their prototype, but the chief engineer, an older woman with gray hair tied in a bun on the back of her head, stopped to face him, reaching him ahead of Treize by several long strides.

"How did it handle?" she asked, her voice and expression alternating between anger, concern and excitement.

"It's very responsive," Zechs answered, "even at high speed. The targeting seemed a little off, though, but I could compensate for it."

"We'll look at that. Thank you, Lieutenant." She hurried to join the other engineers swarming over the Aries prototype.

"The targeting is off?" Treize asked with a lifted eyebrow.

"Just a little," Zechs grinned. "I could hardly tell them it's perfect. They'd be insufferable."

Treize and Cole laughed and Une cracked a small smile.

"They said we'd get our Aries units next week," Treize said, still smiling. "The four of us will train in them initially. We'll provide cover during parachute landings of the Leo units and then provide air combat support."

They turned to gaze approvingly at the Aries mobile suit.

"This will improve our combat effectiveness significantly," Cole remarked, a wide grin on his dark face. "Those rebels got another thing coming next time they kick up a fuss."

Zechs nodded in agreement. Mobile suit technology was going to turn the tide in future wars.


	11. Assault on Pancevo

**Warning: **_This chapter contains strong sexual content. It's good stuff, too, if I dare say so myself. Man, I'm a pervert! Oh, and there's some strong language, too._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 11: **Assault on Pancevo**

Treize was frustrated. After three hours in video conference with General Catalonia and his aides, he had not been able to convince the general that trouble was brewing again in the Balkans, especially around Pancevo. Information for the region from the Alliance's European Intelligence Office indicated nothing unusual and continuing unrest in the Colonies had drawn the general's eye away from Earth. In the end, all Treize could manage was to keep the general from posting his unit to the Moon Base immediately.

It was not very late, but he'd missed training with Zechs and the others in the new Aries mobile suits and he'd missed dinner. The churning knot in his stomach made the latter of little concern, but he hated missing training. Une had offered to skip training and attend the briefing with him, but he'd said no. Her presence would have made no difference and at least one of them should get to do something fun.

He brooded darkly as he returned from the conference room to his quarters. There was a light showing under the door when he reached his room and for a moment he couldn't decide if he was relieved or annoyed that someone was there. He hoped it was Zechs.

He opened the door to find Zechs lounging on his bed reading a book.

Zechs looked up with a smile. "That was a long meeting."

"And unsatisfying," Treize growled back. He dropped his notes on the desk and pulled off his jacket, hanging it over the chair. "Someone in Intelligence has his head up his ass and the general is listening to him. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep him from shipping us off Earth."

"That would be bad timing." Zechs frowned, concern showing on his face.

"Extremely bad timing," Treize concurred. He sank down on the bed with a sigh. "I really expected something to have happened by now." He shook his head. "Maybe I'm wrong."

"You're not wrong, Treize," Zechs assured him. He wrapped his arms around Treize and put his chin on one shoulder. "Do you want to eat? I'm sure we could still get something at the mess hall."

Treize shook his head. "I'm not hungry." He clasped Zechs' wrists. "I wish I'd been at training with you today. It seems like I get to spend less and less time in the cockpit."

"Responsibility does that."

"Well, I hate it."

Zechs kissed his ear. "There's something else you've had less time for lately."

Treize smiled. "I'm not busy right now."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Zechs nibbled his neck and licked his ear. "Why don't you just lie back? I'll bolt the door and soothe all your frustrations away."

"That is the best suggestion I've heard in months."

Treize decided that getting slowly and methodically stripped naked, while being kissed, caressed and licked everywhere, was the best way to unwind at the end of a long day. Zechs took his time, showing loving, intimate attention to each part of Treize's body as he exposed it. Along the way, Treize re-discovered a passion for having his toes licked. He was also reminded that the tender skin on the inside of his elbows and the back of his knees was extremely susceptible to soft, wet kisses. He was completely aware of every inch of his body and it was all deeply aroused.

"You're a magician, Zechs," he whispered.

"Um hmm," was all Zechs could say since, at that particular moment, most of Treize's cock was in his mouth.

"Ohhh!" Treize groaned as Zechs slowly and deliberately sucked his way to the very tip.

"Would you like to see my disappearing act now?" Zechs asked with a seductive smile. At Treize's hasty nod, Zechs straddled him and positioned himself over Treize's erect cock, clasped between his fingertips. "Now you see it," he murmured, "and now you don't," and he settled onto Treize with a soft moan.

Treize gasped with pleasure. Having been completely sensitized to the lightest touch, Zechs' warm, tight orifice sliding smoothly down his shaft felt like a long, slow caress. Zechs rode him slowly, letting each slow, deep stroke stand on its own as an act of exquisite pleasure. Treize closed his eyes so nothing would distract him from savoring what it felt like to be inside Zechs at that moment. He was on fire. Erotic stimulation made his heart pound and his breath come in ragged gasps. Then Zechs began to move faster and joy radiated through Treize. He ached with it, from his fingertips to his toes. His cock throbbed with growing urgency and he began to moan aloud. Then Zechs cried out and he came, his body clenching Treize's cock with his hard orgasm.

"Ahhh!" Treize gasped. He arched up, caught in the double grip of his own and Zechs' orgasm, ejaculation sending shudders of ecstasy through him. Zechs moved again, sending additional waves of pleasure washing through him. For a long time, Treize was aware of nothing at all but the orgasm that held his body completely rigid.

"Oh, lord!" Treize finally groaned. "I think I just died."

"Don't worry," Zechs answered breathlessly. "Give me a few minutes and I'll bring you back to life."

"Oh, god! You are trying to kill me."

Zechs just smiled and leaned down to give him a long, deep kiss.

-o-o-o-o-

The base alarm jerked them both awake a few hours before dawn. Treize leaped out of bed and keyed on the communicator without any thought for the fact that he was naked and Zechs was behind him hastily pulling on his clothes.

"What is it?" he demanded of the night duty sergeant who appeared on his monitor.

"Pancevo Base is under attack, Commander!" the sergeant replied excitedly. "It's a large force of mobile suits! The base is taking mortar fire, too! General Catalonia is calling for reinforcements!"

"Mobilize all units on standby to the carrier hanger," Treize ordered. "I want them to start loading the Leos onto the carriers immediately. And make sure they load the Aries units onto my carrier."

"Yes sir!" The sergeant keyed off and a moment later his voice boomed out of the base speakers, overwhelming the klaxon still sounding in the background. "Attention! Attention! All carrier crews report to station! Repeat! All carrier crews report to station! All standby personnel report to the carrier hanger for orders! Loading of Leo and Aries mobile suits to commence immediately!"

"I said you were right," Zechs remarked in a surprisingly calm voice as he stamped into his boots.

"Yes, now if I'd only been more prepared," Treize replied angrily. "It's going to take half an hour to load all the mobile suits onto the carriers." He began pulling on his own clothes. "It will be two hours before we can get to Pancevo."

"Can't be helped." Zechs stood up. "I'll meet you at the hanger." He sprinted out the door.

The carrier hanger was a beehive of activity. Mobile suits were being loaded into four carriers and pilots were racing in from all directions to check in with their commanders. Cole was already there issuing orders to Treize's unit as they came in. Zechs had just reached him when Treize entered the hanger. Treize ran to join them.

"Have they loaded the Aries suits yet?" he asked as he reached them.

"No," Cole answered. "I told them to put those on last, so they can jump first. I sent Une to make sure the Leos are being packed with parachutes. I've been telling the pilots to get on board and stay out of the way."

"Very good. Zechs, go oversee the loading of the Aries suits. Cole, come with me. We need to find out what's happening in Pancevo."

"Right."

Pancevo was in trouble. Mortar fire was pounding the base from the hills south of the river. Two lines of mobile suits were attacking, one from the northwest and one from the east, forcing General Catalonia to fight on two fronts while taking fire from the rear. They were holding their own, but just barely. They needed help badly.

Once their carrier was in the air, Treize, Une, Cole and Zechs brought up a map of the area, projected on a large screen at the front of the cabin, and planned their counterattack.

"We'll drop in behind the enemy forces to the north," Treize decided. "Once our unit is down and engaging the enemy, the second carrier can drop reinforcements behind us. That should be enough to give the general some breathing room. Once he puts more forces on his eastern front, the other two carriers can drop their Leos behind the enemy's eastern flank."

"Sounds good," Cole said, "But what about the mortar fire to the south?"

"We'll have the bombers go in just ahead of us and take them out." Treize turned an intent gaze on each of them. "We can't let them take Pancevo Base. The loss of such a strategic asset will inspire more rebellion against the Alliance. Our victory must be decisive."

"Yes sir!" They spoke in unison.

Treize nodded in satisfaction. He had some of the best mobile suit pilots in the Earth Sphere in his unit. He trusted them to get the job done, but he knew it would not be easy. They were not going to get through this unscathed.

-o-o-o-o-

Zechs went through his pre-flight while he listened to the noise of the battle below. The Pancevo forces had been pushed back inside the Base perimeter. They were fighting hard, but they had taken heavy losses. Knowing reinforcements were coming, they had fought to hold the Base only, conceding the perimeter territories almost immediately. The tactic had bought them time when time was what they needed. They had held until the arrival of the Luxembourg forces. It would have been nice if they'd had more Aries mobile suits and pilots trained in them, but they were out of luck. The other Alliance forces that had received the earliest production models were too far away to bring help to Pancevo in time. So it would be just the four of them, along with their Leos.

"Bomber Group 21 approaching target." The voice crackled from the radio over the babble from below.

"Report bombs away, 21." Treize replied.

"Bomber Group 21, aye."

"Alpha 3-5 prepare to jump." Treize sounded grim through the static of the radio. "Zechs, you go first."

"Alpha 3-5 aye," Zechs responded and he brought all his systems on-line.

"Bombs away!"

The back of the carrier dropped open and Zechs immediately leaped out. He did a quick roll and spin to scan the area around him and the ground below. "All clear," he reported.

Treize, Une and Cole jumped out one by one, flying away from each other and Zechs to form a perimeter for the Leos. Almost immediately, the Leos began jumping, their chutes popping open as soon as they were clear of the hatch. Zechs and Cole descended with the falling Leos, while Treize and Une stayed high. Some of the enemy mobile suits below began firing up toward the Leos as they dropped. The Leos returned fire.

A fierce grin spread across Zechs' face and he plunged toward the ground at full speed, dodging the fire effortlessly. He banked into a hard turn as he neared the rear of the enemy line, now starting to turn to face the new threat, and opened fire with his laser. He sliced his way through half a dozen mobile suits before rolling over and climbing back into the sky. The first of the Leos were touching down now and shedding their chutes, forming a line to begin an assault.

"Carrier 12, release your Leos," Treize ordered.

The second carrier began dropping its Leos. Treize and Une oversaw their landing while Zechs and Cole led the assault on the enemy line. Zechs was delighted with the performance of his Aries mobile suit in battle. Its speed and maneuverability put the slower ground based units at a huge disadvantage. He swooped in on them repeatedly from above, slaughtering enemy pilots at will.

"Carrier 18, Carrier 31, release your Leos." Treize had stayed high to assess the battle progress. Now that all the Leos were on their way down, he dropped down on the fight below like a falling stone. He cut his way through a dozen mobile suits using an energy saber instead of a rifle. Zechs laughed with pleasure at the sight. Leave it to Treize to enter a critical battle with nothing but a sword. Always the gentleman was Lord Treize.

"At least tell me you brought a gun, Treize!" he shouted gleefully.

"Guns are for wimps!" Treize shouted back. He sounded like he was having fun.

"And you accuse me of taking chances!" Under the circumstances, Zechs should have been worried, but he wasn't. As always, Une was right there beside Treize, watching his back and blowing enemy mobile suits to bits with her usual quiet efficiency.

"Welcome to Pancevo!" General Catalonia greeted them suddenly. He sounded tired but relieved. "You are a very welcome sight, Luxembourg."

"Glad to be of service, General," Treize replied. "Sorry we took so long."

"Not a problem, Commander. You're not too late and that's good enough."

A massive explosion shook the ground, causing some of the mobile suits to lose their footing. Flame and smoke rose up on the southern side of the Base, billowing up into the sky. An instant later, the screams began.

"We're breached! They're everywhere! Fall back! Fall…" The voice cut off, but the cries continued.

Then a new voice cried out, "General Catalonia! They're inside the perimeter! We're cut off!"

"Goddamn it!" Treize cried out. He flashed away toward the south with Une in his wake. "Zechs, find the general!"

"Aye!"

Zechs blasted up over the battlefield and flew southeast. He fired below him as he went, knocking down as many enemy suits as he could on the way. "General Catalonia, acknowledge!" he shouted into the communicator as he neared the Alliance front lines.

"The general went to help the rear forces!" someone called back.

"Shit!" Zechs wheeled around, zoomed over the Alliance soldiers and headed toward the column of smoke. "General Catalonia! Acknowledge! Acknowledge!" It didn't seem possible that the general could have covered so much ground in such a short time, but the area behind the Alliance front lines was empty. Zechs flew higher so he could see farther and picked up speed. Finally, in the distance ahead of him, he could see ten or so mobile suits racing toward the area of the explosion. Punching up to full speed, he sped toward the group, but panic touched him when he saw, from his higher vantage, another group of mobile suits waiting to ambush the approaching Alliance soldiers.

"General Catalonia!" he shouted, "Hold up! You're not clear!"

He was too late. The waiting enemy soldiers jumped up from their ambush, machine guns blazing. Six of the Alliance soldiers went down immediately. Zechs dropped down onto the battle, firing furiously. As soon as they saw him, the enemy soldiers retreated. Zechs pursued them far enough to make sure they were really running before he backtracked to check on the general. Two of the Alliance soldiers had exited their mobile suits and were hurrying to open another one as Zechs dropped down to land beside the fallen Leos. A sinking feeling hit Zechs in the pit of his stomach.

"Is it the general?" he asked numbly.

"Yes!" One of the soldiers kicked the emergency release and the cockpit door dropped open.

General Catalonia was dead. Bullets had torn through the cockpit, puncturing him in a dozen places. Zechs dropped his head into his hands. The general was one of the finest men he had ever known. This man had helped shape the Alliance forces. He had built the Specials and the Oz organization. His loss was tragic. Treize had to be told.

"Alpha 3-5, the general has fallen."

The silence which followed his announcement was heartbreaking.

"How?" Treize's voice was flat and emotionless.

"He was ambushed coming to the aid of his men."

"Stay with him. I'll join you when I can."

"Acknowledged."

Zechs climbed up to a comfortable altitude and scanned the area for more rebels. Below him, three Alliance soldiers stood guard in their mobile suits while the two men on foot removed the general's body from his mobile suit and laid him out on the ground. One of the men took off his uniform jacket to cover the general's face.

A flicker of motion at the edge of an undamaged building caught Zechs' eye. Instantly, he flew over the top and discovered a small party of rebels sneaking along against the wall of the building. Zechs saw no reason to give them any warning and the ambushers became the ambushed. His laser rifle tore through the unsuspecting mobile suits, exploding them into flame and smoke.

Machine gun fire rattled against the side of his suit and Zechs spun to find more rebels racing toward him from the shelter of another building.

"The whole damn base is infiltrated!" Zechs muttered to himself. He flew up and over the new threat, firing below him as he went. "I guess it's time to go mole hunting." He began working his way outward in a widening spiral, locating and destroying enemy mobile suits. "Treize is right. These rebels had inside help."

-o-o-o-

The Alliance forces slowly gained the upper hand, but at a terrible price. Half of the Base was in flames. Over a third of the Base forces had been destroyed. The Luxembourg forces had taken losses as well. It was just approaching midday when the Alliance forces finally drove the rebels into retreat. But after nearly eight hours of fighting, the Alliance did not have enough energy or resources left to pursue the survivors and they were allowed to escape.

When Treize finally arrived at the site of the general's fallen Leo, he was screaming into his communicator. Zechs had never seen him so angry.

"Where the hell are the additional reinforcements? I called for help three hours ago!" Treize listened to the reply for only seconds before interrupting. "Goddamn it! I am the ranking officer in the field! If I say we needed help, we needed help! The idiot in European Command who countermanded my orders had better have a damn good reason or I'll hang him for a traitor myself!" Treize flung the communicator away in fury and stormed toward Zechs.

"What happened?" Zechs asked quietly.

Treize clenched and unclenched his fists, clearly trying to get himself under control, but when he spoke, he spoke as quietly as Zechs had. "I called for additional reinforcements when the general fell, primarily to capture the rebels, but someone in European Command countermanded my orders. Apparently, there was concern that other bases might be attacked, so they held the remaining forces in reserve, just in case."

Zechs stared in shock. "But we could have lost Pancevo! What intelligence did they have that outweighed the battle that was already being fought?"

"I don't know, but I'm damn well going to find out." Treize turned toward the general's Leo and his face fell. "He's really dead?"

Zechs nodded.

"Damn." Treize drew in a long breath. "Someone's going to pay for this, Zechs. I don't care what I have to do. I'll find out who betrayed General Catalonia and I'll kill him with my own two hands."


	12. Fallen Hero

**Warning: **_This chapter contains strong sexual content. _

-o-o-o-

Chapter 12: **Fallen Hero**

The Specials were in disarray. The unexpected death of General Catalonia had left them looking for someone to lead them; someone in whom to put their faith and trust; someone like Treize. But Treize was as lost and as devastated as anyone. Although he had been privy to much of the general's thoughts and plans, Treize still felt like a child trying to step into a man's shoes. The aftermath of the Battle of Pancevo was grim. Alliance losses had been heavy, in both personnel and equipment, and there was no telling how much damage had been inflicted on the insurgents. No one was certain how many forces and how well equipped the rebels had been to begin with. That infuriated Treize. What use was an Intelligence organization if they didn't know that? Treize would not fall prey to that mistake again. He was already making plans to create his own Intelligence unit as part of Oz. He'd discussed it once with General Catalonia and had received tacit permission to proceed. Now he forged ahead with single-minded purpose. He would never again be caught without adequate knowledge of what the rebels, insurgents and guerillas, both on and off Earth, were doing. The Alliance, and particularly Oz, had already paid too high a price for that failure.

And Treize was certain, as certain as he was that the sun would rise in the morning, that Pancevo had nearly been lost because of treason; that the general had died because of treason. Someone in the Pancevo command had betrayed them.

"Colonel Kushranada?"

Treize broke out of his reverie and looked up to find a young Lieutenant standing before him at stark attention. Treize was sitting in General Catalonia's office, slumped in the comfortable, high-backed chair that the general had taken with him to every command he'd held for the past fifteen years. Treize sat up and folded his hands neatly on the desk.

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"The officers are waiting for you in the conference room, Sir."

"Thank you. Please tell them I'll be there shortly."

"Sir!" The young officer saluted smartly and left, closing the door behind him.

Treize stared at the closed door thoughtfully. After the battle, Treize had been promoted to Colonel and placed in charge of the remaining forces at Pancevo until a new commander could be appointed. His express commission was to clean up the mess left behind by the battle and restore the base to some semblance of order. Treize intended to accomplish that, but he had his own agenda as well. He did not intend to leave Pancevo until he knew who was behind the treachery that had resulted in the general's death.

He tapped his fingers on the desk as he thought about what he would say at the briefing. All the remaining officers at Pancevo, as well as his own staff, would be in attendance. Treize planned to tell them there was a traitor and see how they reacted. He had gone through everything in the general's desk, files and computer, but had found nothing incriminating. The only thing that had struck him as odd was what he did not find. He had found almost no significant intelligence reports on rebel activity in the Pancevo region. There should have been something, unless those reports were being purposely withheld to give the general the false impression that there was little unrest in the region. Very few people would have been in a position to do that and it was on these people that Treize's suspicions now fell. And all of them were now waiting for him in the conference room. He intended to get satisfaction and avenge the general's death.

The twelve surviving Pancevo officers were silent when Treize entered. His own people, Cole, Une, Zechs and Dmitri, had been talking quietly among themselves, but they stopped and nodded to him as he sat down at the head of the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Treize began, "the one thing I want to know is why General Catalonia was unaware that a large, well-armed rebel force was operating in this area. Who was responsible for providing him with intelligence reports on rebel activity?"

"I was, Colonel," said a dark-haired woman. Treize remembered her from his brief sojourn at Pancevo months before; Commander Lindsey Wayne. She looked worried, almost frightened. That spoke well for her intelligence; she must realize that she was under suspicion. "I reviewed every report before passing it to the general. We received regular reports about rebels in our area, but it was mostly about small, poorly armed groups operating in the southeast. I would usually consolidate these into a single report and group the information by sub-region to look for patterns."

"I see. Were you also handling intelligence reports for General Brigham before he was relieved of command at Pancevo?"

"No sir. Commander Curzon held that post. He was reassigned when General Brigham left."

"Curzon?" Treize exclaimed. "Dalken Curzon?"

"Yes."

Treize's eyes narrowed. "How long was he here?"

"He came straight from the Victoria Base Academy, so about three years. He became Intelligence Officer about a year before the trouble started."

"Do you know where he was reassigned?"

"I believe he went to European Command."

Treize sat back. Suddenly, things made sense in a way he hadn't expected. Out of all the thefts, losses and battles they'd been through, the one thing that had never fit had been the attack on Zechs and Sheldon. Too many guerillas had been lost attempting to kill two men. Treize looked at Zechs. Or maybe just one man. Maybe Zechs didn't remember Dalken Curzon. Why should he? But Treize remembered him. And he didn't doubt for one moment that Curzon remembered Zechs.

"Thank you, Commander Wayne," he said abruptly. "That will be all. I've arranged for General Catalonia's remains to be returned to his family. There will be a service for him tonight in the Base chapel for anyone who cares to attend." Treize stood up, ending the meeting, and the others all rose. He glanced at his people so they would know he wanted them to stay and waited for the Pancevo officers to file out. When the door closed behind the last of them, Treize leaned forward and spoke quietly.

"European Command has not issued a definitive report about the Pancevo region for months. Now we find that Dalken Curzon, one of Brigham's staff officers, has been assigned there. Although none of Brigham's officers was found to be complicit in the problems that got him transferred, I always believed that someone was feeding the insurgents inside information. And who better than his own Intelligence Officer?"

"But why would he do such a thing?" Une asked. "He was one of the top graduates of the Academy. He's been rising rapidly through the ranks. He could hold any post he wants."

"Could he?" Treize nodded at Zechs. "Zechs cost him a posting at Luxembourg that prevented him from being placed in charge of a unit. That's why he was at Pancevo in the first place. Intelligence is an important role in the Alliance Military, but it doesn't get you the kind of visibility that leads to important assignments. What if he's been carrying a grudge all this time? What other reason could there have been for the attack that killed Sheldon, except that Dalken saw an opportunity to kill the man who humiliated him three years ago?"

Une's eyes narrowed as she considered this.

Cole rubbed a hand across his chin and nodded in agreement. "You may be right, Treize, but what are we going to do about it?"

"Recommend that all the officers at Pancevo be reassigned."

"Why?" Une asked. "Do you think others are involved?"

"No, I don't. But that will make Curzon think he's gotten away with it." Treize's face darkened with anger. "And I don't want him to see me coming."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize took decisive command of Pancevo Base. He kept the Pancevo officers on staff only until he had established a new routine of patrols and had gotten the reconstruction started. Then he sent those officers he had come to trust, including Lindsey Wayne, to fill vacancies at Luxembourg, which was for the moment still under his command, and had the rest reassigned elsewhere. He brought a few officers down from Luxembourg to replace them and picked up the rest of the staff officers he required from the graduating class at the Victoria Base Academy.

Zechs spent much of his time on patrol in his Aries mobile suit during the long period of reconstruction. He would have liked to spend time with Treize also, but Treize was just too busy. Creating an integrated fighting force from scratch was no simple task, but Zechs knew Treize could do it. Many of the recent Academy graduates who had come to Pancevo displayed a personal loyalty to Treize which Zechs found perfectly understandable and looked to be good candidates for joining the Specials and Oz. Treize used the opportunity presented by the rebuilding effort to reorganize the Specials to more directly align and integrate the Oz forces. While General Catalonia had tried to keep Oz more or less a secret from the Alliance, Treize did not. He quite openly stated that the purpose of the organization was to streamline intelligence channels and set up a quick response team so a fiasco like Pancevo would not happen again.

There was some protest from a few senior officers in the Alliance who felt too much power was being concentrated into Treize's hands, but it was difficult to argue against the validity of his goals. No one wanted to see another disastrous battle like Pancevo. So Treize operated with essentially a free hand in establishing Oz as an integral component of the Alliance Military, with himself as its sole commander.

But it left Zechs with the feeling that he was losing Treize to forces beyond his control. From the very beginning, he had known that he would not be able to keep Treize forever, but the end was coming much sooner than he'd expected. Too soon, he would be left to the lonely existence he'd known before he met Treize; pretending to enjoy life when it held little joy for him at all. A man could not live without roots. It left him subject to the winds of fate and Zechs could feel it blowing on him again. A deep sadness welled up in him whenever he thought about it.

So he tried not to think about it and kept himself focused on his duties. He flew patrols four days out of seven and spent the other three training new pilots in the Aries mobile suits. Treize had managed to get his hands on another twenty suits and he wanted them integrated into the daily patrols as soon as possible. As the best pilot on the base, Zechs had immediately assumed that duty, even though it left him with no free time. In fact, Zechs couldn't remember the last time he'd had a day off, but Treize didn't take any time off, so Zechs didn't see any reason to either. What was the point if he couldn't spend the time with Treize?

The new pilots were training in an empty field on the south side of the river opposite the base. Zechs had personally cleared the area the day after the battle. He had flushed and destroyed three rebel groups from hidden bunkers well inside the base's perimeter. Then he and Cole, using flamethrowers, had cleared all the vegetation from the riverbank to the gaping craters were the bombers had destroyed the rebel mortar emplacements during the battle, leaving a scorched empty wasteland ten kilometers wide and nearly fifteen kilometers deep. It was perfect for live fire training with the Aries mobile suits. Zechs figured if anyone blundered into the area and was killed during the exercises, it was their own fault. His sympathy for the locals had diminished considerably.

Now he sat in his mobile suit on the north side of the river watching his pilots engage a convoy of disabled trucks he'd placed in the field earlier that day. This group had been training together the longest and was doing pretty well, so Zechs recorded the exercise without really watching it and was therefore caught by surprise when one of the pilots suddenly cursed.

"What's wrong?" Zechs demanded immediately.

"I think I just blew up a cow."

"A what?"

"A cow. A black and white cow."

"Yup, he did," someone else confirmed rather cheerfully. "I can see the head and bits of the carcass."

"Whoa! That's a lot of blood!" said another pilot. "What a mess."

"How close was the cow to the convoy?" Zechs asked, trying to maintain a professional tone."

"It was right next to it," the guilty pilot said. "Maybe five meters away."

"Then it was inside the kill zone. Good hit."

"Uh, ok."

"Come on in, all of you."

The pilots broke off the attack and flew toward him in formation. Zechs smiled to himself. They remembered procedure, despite the surprise ending to their exercise. He lifted off and fell into their formation, flying with the team back to the recently repaired and refinished tarmac. When the pilots were assembled on the ground outside their suits, Zechs patted the hapless cow-killer on the shoulder.

"Don't let it bother you, Claude. I would be upset if you missed the shot because you worried about killing a cow."

"But the civilians around here are pretty poor…"

"Not our problem," Zechs said, a little harshly. "We're fighting a war and those civilians are just two steps away from being rebels. They should keep their animals penned up. Let's go review the recording. I saw a few things during the attack which I think you could have done better."

The pilots followed him across the tarmac, teasing Claude good-naturedly along the way. Claude took the ribbing with good humor, which pleased Zechs. This team was forming into a tight, cohesive unit. They worked well together and they shared a strong bond. Treize had already recruited them for the Specials.

A soldier sprinted toward them, saluting as he skidded to a halt in front of Zechs. "Lieutenant Merquise! Colonel Kushranada wants to see you right away."

"Very well." Zechs stopped and turned to his pilots. "I already downloaded the recording of your exercise into the base computer. Please review the recording and write a report detailing any mistakes you observe in your performance. I'll go over it with you later."

"Yes sir!" They saluted sharply and continued on toward the recreation hall. As one of the few undamaged buildings on the base, many of the base services were operating there during the reconstruction. Zechs had usurped a room and converted it to a classroom for his pilot-trainees.

Zechs headed for the Administration building. It was hot again and he was sweating by the time he arrived. The air conditioning still wasn't working and he wiped his face with the inside of his sleeve, wishing he could take a shower. Not too surprisingly, the halls were nearly deserted as he marched through the building and up the two flights to Treize's office. No one wanted to move around much in this heat.

The young soldier on duty outside Treize's office was visibly drooping in the heat, but she popped up from behind her small desk and saluted Zechs before stepping quickly over to knock on the door. "The Colonel is expecting you, Lieutenant." She opened the door to admit him and Zechs stepped inside.

It was not any cooler in the office, despite an open window. Treize didn't look happy, but he usually didn't these days. Zechs came to attention. "You wanted to see me, Sir?"

The soldier closed the door as Treize waved Zechs toward the chair opposite his desk. His sudden smile wiped the exhaustion from his face. "I always want to see you, Zechs," he answered. "I need to go up to Luxembourg for a few days and I want you to go with me."

Zechs lifted an eyebrow. "As an escort?"

"You could call it that." Treize's smile became affectionate. "The truth is, I'm desperate to take you to bed, but I don't want to do it here."

"Ah."

"We leave tomorrow morning. We'll go in the carrier, so we can take our Aries suits. We'll also be bringing back some work crews when we return."

"Aye sir." Zechs stood up. "If you don't mind, I'm dying for a shower."

"Take one for me. This place is an oven." Treize favored him with another affectionate smile as he left.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It felt good to be back in Luxembourg. It was cooler, for one thing. It also felt more like home. Zechs returned to his own quarters when they arrived, but he didn't stay there long. He was in Treize's room by 2200, undressing him with eager hands. Treize kept trying to talk, but Zechs wasn't listening. He ached with desire and unfulfilled need. He pushed Treize against the wall and pulled his shirt open, kissing his bare chest hungrily. He worked his way across the firm, smooth skin to the left nipple and closed his lips around it, sucking hard.

"Have you heard a thing I've said, Zechs?"

"Hmmm?" It was hard to talk and suck at the same time, so Zechs elected to suck.

"Apparently not," Treize murmured. He caught Zechs' face in his hands and lifted it so he could look into Zechs' eyes. "My love, I am going to have to do something terrible. I may need you to lie for me."

Zechs blinked. "I'll lie for you, Treize. I'll also lie with you; I'll lie under you; I'll lie on top of you. Now, can we stop talking?" He dropped to his knees and began undoing Treize's trousers.

"Zechs…" Treize began, but he stopped with a helpless moan as Zechs pulled his cock out.

Zechs slid it into his mouth, closing his eyes so he could experience the tactile pleasure of touching Treize with a minimum of distraction. Treize slumped against the wall with a groan, his hands tangling in Zechs long hair.

"Zechs!" Treize gasped. "We really do need to talk about this! Ah!" His groans got louder as Zechs continued to work diligently on him. "Oh lord, I missed you! Maybe we can talk later..."

Zechs thought that was the better idea and he did his best to get all thoughts of work out of Treize's mind. He kept at it until Treize came hard with a cry of joy. Zechs held him until Treize's shivers of orgasm faded and then he sat back on his heels with a smile.

"And you call me wet."

Treize pulled Zechs to his feet and kissed him deeply.

Zechs pushed away, laughing. "Do you want to talk now?"

"Shut up," Treize growled. He dragged Zechs to the bed and shoved him down onto it. "Get out of your clothes right now, lie down and spread your legs."

"Yes sir!" Zechs chuckled as he undressed. Treize was tearing off his own clothes as if he had not just been satisfied. In fact, to look at the upright, hardened state of his cock, one would think he hadn't been. Zechs lay back and Treize mounted him immediately. Zechs gasped. As always, Treize felt utterly wonderful inside him. He wrapped his arms around Treize and moved with him as Treize rode him.

Treize put his lips next to Zechs' ear and whispered, "I wish I could spend the rest of my life doing this with you."

"Tonight is all that matters," Zechs whispered back. "Don't think about tomorrow." He kissed Treize's neck and shoulder, moaning softly as pleasure suffused him. Treize moved faster and faster, grunting with the effort of driving himself deep into Zechs. Zechs arched up against him, gasping with joy, his body shaking with impending orgasm. "Don't stop!" he groaned. "Please don't stop!" Treize didn't stop. He kept thrusting into Zechs until Zechs exploded with orgasm. "Oh, god!" he gasped.

Treize uttered a deep groan as orgasm surged through him, triggered by the vice-like grip of Zechs' clenched muscles. When he finished, he looked into Zechs' blue eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

Zechs gazed back at him, letting the sight fix itself in his memory. This was his favorite moment in time: lying beneath Treize in the first sweet moments of post-coital bliss. Slowly, he lifted his mouth to Treize's and gave him a long, gentle kiss. "I love you, too, Treize Kushranada."


	13. Discovery

**Note**: _Sorry, there's no sex in this chapter. I'm disappointed too. It's also kind of short. Sorry._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 13: **Discovery**

Treize organized a summit meeting at Luxembourg for all the senior officers in the Alliance Military to discuss the Battle at Pancevo. There was a fair bit of grumbling from many officers who outranked Treize that he, a mere Colonel, could arrange such a meeting and force it to be held at Luxembourg, his home base. But Treize wasn't interested in playing nicely at the moment. He used his position and influence in the Romafeller Foundation to ensure he got his way. It worried Zechs a little bit because it exposed how much influence Romafeller had within the Alliance, but it was obvious Treize didn't care. He was operating with a single purpose and he would let nothing stand in his way.

All of the officers from the European Command had been summoned to attend the meeting. Zechs thought the members of this group would have to be uncommonly dense not to realize they were in trouble. There had obviously been a dramatic failure in Intelligence for the disaster at Pancevo to have occurred. As officers began filing into the large conference room and taking seats, Zechs observed them carefully. He was attending the meeting himself as Treize's assistant and stood at attention a few meters behind Treize's chair at the head of the table, ready to take his orders. There were not enough seats at the conference table for everyone in attendance. Chairs were set up in neat rows on both sides of the conference room and at the rear for the overflow. Space had been left in back of the chairs for standing room. Zechs noted with interest which officers took seats at the table, which ones settled into chairs and which ones choose to simply stand against the wall.

Zechs wasn't sure he'd recognize Dalken Curzon. He had not seen him since the awards banquet after the alumni games his freshman year and that had been his only close association with the man. He studied the faces of the male officers as they entered, watching for someone vaguely familiar. But when Dalken Curzon finally entered, Zechs had no trouble recognizing him at all. Dalken's eyes suddenly blazed with hate when they met Zechs', before he quickly looked away. Brimming with self-importance, Dalken took a seat at the table and avoided looking at Zechs again.

For the first time, Zechs wondered if Treize was right. He wondered if hate alone would be enough to make Curzon turn against the Alliance.

As the last of the officers filed into the room and found places to sit or stand, everyone fell silent and looked expectantly at Treize. Curzon had a seat on Treize's left, about half way down the table. He looked calm and collected now; the flash of hate he'd shown earlier was completely gone.

When at last everyone was either seated or waiting expectantly, Treize looked around the room. He sat forward with his hands neatly folded on the table in front of him and let his eyes fall briefly on each of the officers seated at the table.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Treize said calmly, "I have called this meeting to discuss how we can avoid another shambles like Pancevo. As you know, I've spent the last few months at Pancevo reconstructing the base and rebuilding the Alliances forces and I have a few recommendations on how the new commander might want to organize the command."

"Your recommendations are always invaluable, Colonel Kushranada, but I don't see why this required such a large meeting." The speaker, General Oswald of European Command, was seated at the opposite end of the table from Treize. He was the senior officer present. "A rebel attack on this room would devastate the Alliance," he added with a chuckle.

Treize grinned humorlessly. "Oh, I don't think we need to be concerned about a rebel attack, General Oswald. And my reasons for hosting such a large meeting may be found in the nature of my recommendations. For one thing, I think we need to abolish centralized intelligence distribution."

"What?" General Oswald sat up straight. "Centralized intelligence distribution is the best way to ensure timely and uniform distribution of information."

"If that's true, then I must be completely mistaken that Pancevo nearly fell because of a massive intelligence failure."

"Colonel Kushranada, what are you implying?" General Oswald frowned. "Are you saying that my organization is somehow at fault?"

"European Command had intelligence responsibility for the Balkans, General," Treize replied flatly. "How did insurgents assemble a force of over four thousand mobile suits and several large caliber guns and mortars without anyone noticing? How did they transport all that equipment into the region?"

Oswald frowned. "I have been investigating that, Colonel. I could find no evidence of rebel forces in that region, beyond the usual guerilla activity. There is no indication that anyone in my organization submitted reports that were ignored."

"That doesn't worry you, General?"

"What do you mean?"

"The evidence seems a little plain. The battle happened. I was there. I have reviewed recordings of the battle and made an estimate of the amount of forces the rebels had to have had in order to inflict the damage they did. There is no way that rebel force could have been assembled and staged for that battle without any forewarning unless there was an extensive and consistent failure in intelligence collection and distribution." Treize leaned forward and fixed his eyes on the General. "In my opinion, there are only two ways this could have happened: either our intelligence services are worthless, or someone was deliberately destroying intelligence reports."

Exclamations burst out around the room, many of them angry. Treize let them babble for a moment before cutting them off with a sharp gesture. "Silence! Someone tell me I'm wrong!" He looked directly at Dalken Curzon. "Someone give me another explanation."

"Why don't you just come right out and say it, Colonel Kushranada?" Dalken Curzon snapped out angrily. "You think someone in European Command is a spy for the insurgents."

Treize looked at him without expression. "I fought in the battle at Pancevo, Commander Curzon. The insurgents were inside the Base perimeter before the fighting began. Tell me how that happens without inside help?"

"How can you blame that on bad intelligence?" Dalken looked smug.

"You were the Intelligence Officer at Pancevo under General Brigham." Treize's voice was as cold as ice. "And now you're in the Intelligence Office at European Command. You served at Pancevo for three years. I would think you more than anyone would be sensitive to problems in that region."

Dalken flushed. For an instant, his eyes flicked to Zechs and then back to Treize, before looking around the table. "There are probably a hundred different rebel bands in the Balkans. Tracking them all is no easy task. I've done my best."

"Your best is far from good enough, Commander Curzon. Your best cost us the life of General Catalonia."

Several people spoke out loudly in his defense as Dalken jumped to his feet. "You can't blame that on me!" he cried angrily. He pointed an accusing finger directly at Zechs. "If you hadn't been too busy fucking your aide, you could have gotten there in time to save him!"

Zechs didn't move as complete silence fell and all eyes in the room turned to stare at him.

Treize sat back, the fingers of his right hand drumming briefly on the table. "Are you accusing me of sexual misconduct, Commander Curzon?" he asked quietly.

Dalken lowered his arm and stiffened slightly. He looked as if he were trying to decide what to say next. "Do you deny it?" he said finally. "Do you deny that you've been fucking Lieutenant Merquise since he came under your command?"

General Oswald stood up, frowning. "That is a serious accusation, Commander. I am concerned by your timing and the circumstances under which you bring it forward."

Without turning, Treize spoke to Zechs. "Lieutenant Merquise, the accusation implicates you as well. What do you have to say?"

Zechs came to full attention with his hands folded behind his back. "I don't know what he's talking about, Sir."

Dalken flushed even darker. "He's lying, General! Ask anyone in their unit! Ask anyone at Luxembourg! Everyone knows!"

Treize stood up slowly. "The only people you need to ask are right here in this room," he said coldly. "I unequivocally deny the accusation. However, I cannot allow this insult to my honor to pass. I demand satisfaction."

Dalken went pale.

"Colonel Kushranada, this is a military matter, not a question of honor," General Oswald exclaimed. "A military tribunal will settle the matter."

Treize shook his head. "I think not, General." He turned a fixed stare on Dalken Curzon. "The tribunal can determine if Curzon has been negligent in his duties. As a gentleman of Romafeller, I require that he prove his accusation on my body. We will meet at dawn tomorrow on the parade grounds. This meeting is adjourned."

-o-o-o-

General Oswald was fuming. "Lord Kushranada, if Dalken Curzon is indeed a traitor and a spy, he should be facing a court martial, not a duel at dawn."

The conference room was empty except for the two of them.

"General, there is absolutely no proof that Curzon is guilty. The worse we are likely to find is negligence." Treize ran his fingers through his hair. "I have questioned more than a dozen prisoners and none of them has implicated him. If he is indeed a traitor, he has been incredibly careful. In fact, if not for one mistake, I might not have suspected him at all."

"What mistake was that?"

"He tried to kill Zechs Merquise."

Oswald frowned. "How do you know that? And why would that make you suspect him, if it's true?"

"Because about four years ago, when Dalken Curzon was a cocky young senior at the Victoria Base Academy, Zechs Merquise humiliated him so badly it cost him a post at Luxembourg."

"A man doesn't turn traitor over something like that."

"I know Dalken, General Oswald. He is the type to hold a grudge. And he is the only person I know who would have a reason to kill Zechs." He smiled slightly. "Or to accuse him of being my lover." He leaned on the table. "But that means he had the contacts inside the insurgency to arrange the ambush that nearly cost Zechs his life."

The general's brow furrowed in thought. He studied Treize with pursed lips, clearly debating whether or not to go along with Treize's plan. "He's bound to file an appeal. There's no reason for him to show up tomorrow."

"No reason but his own arrogance." Treize grinned, but it was a ruthless grin. "He thinks he can defeat me."

Oswald looked surprised. "No one's ever beaten you in a sword fight."

"I know."

-o-o-o-o-o-

"You set him up."

Zechs leaned against the inside of the door, a properly respectable distance away from Treize, who was seated on the opposite side of the room.

Treize smiled. "That's why I wanted you there. I thought he might react without thinking if he saw you and he played right into my hands."

"So the lie you planned for me to tell all along was about our relationship."

"Yes."

"But he's right, you know. I suspect over half the people on this base know about us."

"Probably," Treize conceded. "But those people are all loyal to me. They won't betray my trust, not even if they personally witnessed us engaging in sexual conduct."

Zechs studied Treize thoughtfully. "I wonder if anyone in the Alliance Military realizes how dangerous you are. You could take over everything if you wanted to."

"True, but I don't want to," Treize shrugged. "What I want is an end to rebellion and disagreement so I have nothing better to do with my time than make love with you."

Zechs smiled. "That is something to hope for." Then his smile faded. "But what will you do if Curzon doesn't show up tomorrow? We don't have any proof of his treachery. At the moment, he's nothing but an incredibly bad intelligence officer."

Treize frowned. "If he doesn't show up, I'll see to it that his career is over. I'll have him running a weather station in Antarctica. But I'm almost positive he'll show up. He hates noblemen and he hates Romafeller. I don't think he can resist the opportunity to show us up by defeating me in a duel."

"He cannot possibly defeat you in a duel. He was dead the moment he opened his mouth."

Treize's smile was as cold as the space between the stars. "He tried to kill you. If I could kill him for that, bring him back and then kill him again to avenge the general, I would do so."

For a long time, they just looked at each other.

"We can't make love while all these people are on the base," Zechs said.

Treize nodded. "But I can kiss you goodnight." He stood up and crossed the room to embrace Zechs. "You'll be my second tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"Meet me here an hour before sunrise." He kissed Zechs warmly.

Zechs returned the kiss until he started to get hard, then he pulled his mouth away. "That's enough or we'll get caught proving Curzon right."

Treize chuckled. "You're right. See you tomorrow morning."

"Good night."

-o-o-o-o-o-

There was a hint of winter in the chilly morning air. Zechs' breath plumed out in front of him as he and Treize walked across the parade ground. Several people were gathered in front of the grandstand, steam rising above them as they talked. The sound of their voices drifted across the open space, made brittle by the icy air. A heated argument was in progress. Someone saw them coming and leaned into the group to make a comment, pointing in their direction. The argument died away as everyone turned to face them. Dalken Curzon was at the center of the group. General Oswald stood beside him. The others were all from the European Command office.

"I didn't think you'd show up," Treize said lightly as they reached the group.

Dalken bristled. "I may not be an aristocrat, but I won't take an insult either," he snarled.

"I wasn't aware I'd insulted you," Treize replied. "I only recall you accusing me of indecent behavior with one of my subordinates." He held out his hand and Zechs placed the hilt of his sword, which he'd been carrying, into Treize's palm. Treize slowly drew the sword out of its scabbard. The metallic slithering sound echoed across the frosty grass. He stepped back and slashed the blade through the air.

Dalken turned and gestured toward one of the women standing behind him.

"Dalken…" she began, but he cut her off with a sharp gesture.

"Just give it to me," he snapped. Reluctantly, she held out a sheathed blade to him. He snatched it from her and jerked the blade free, flinging the scabbard to the ground. "Get back! Give me room!" he shouted.

People hastily backed away, making space around the combatants.

Zechs touched Treize lightly on the arm. "Don't toy with him."

"Never." He smiled at Zechs. "This is a question of honor."

Zechs smiled back and moved away.

Treize faced Dalken and drew himself to attention. He presented arms, his blade held upright before his face for three heartbeats, and then fell into his stance, his left arm folded behind his back and his sword pointing at an angle toward the ground in front of him. Dalken copied the salute, but he fell into a more traditional stance, with his left arm in the air above his head and his sword pointing straight at Treize's chest. They held that pose for the space of a breath and then Dalken charged. Treize sidestepped the charge, knocking Dalken's sword aside as he spun lightly on one foot and slashed Dalken across the back as he went by. He immediately fell back into his stance, waiting for Dalken to charge again. Dalken winced as he turned to face Treize. His jacket and shirt were sliced through and blood could already be seen seeping through the tear. He did not charge straight in the second time. He feinted low and then slashed high at Treize's head. Treize ducked under the strike and slashed Dalken across the stomach as he spun away. Dalken hunched over the cut for a moment, breathing hard. His face was flushed with pain and anger. Treize resumed his pose and waited.

"You said you wouldn't toy with him," Zechs called out.

"Sorry, force of habit." Treize's grin was wolfish.

A look of utter fury came over Dalken's face. "Fucking aristocrats!" he screamed. He charged at Treize, his sword flashing up and in, straight at Treize's heart. Treize barely moved. He turned sideways at the last instant, when Dalken's reckless charge left him no time to correct, and brought his sword up at the same time. Dalken skewered himself on Treize's blade, while his on blade skimmed harmlessly past Treize's chest.

Dalken didn't make a sound. His mouth fell open and he stared, first at Treize, then at the steel sticking out of his chest. A trickle of blood drooled from the corner of his mouth and he slumped to the ground, dragging Treize's sword with him. Treize released the hilt and stepped back, regarding Dalken calmly.

"I think this proves my point, gentlemen." He looked up at General Oswald. "I apologize if this disrupts your investigation."

Dalken looked up with glazed, unbelieving eyes. His mouth worked soundlessly for a moment and then he collapsed onto his side, going limp. The officers crowded forward and one knelt down to check Dalken's pulse. After touching her fingers to his throat briefly, she pulled her hand away with a shake of her head.

Treize turned to Zechs. "We have business that requires our attention, Lieutenant." He walked away without another word.

Zechs saluted General Oswald and hurried to fall into step beside Treize.

"Treize," he said quietly, "I know you did this to avenge General Catalonia, but everyone who witnessed this fight thinks it was about us. They think you killed him just to prove we're not lovers. If the truth ever comes out, it will destroy your credibility."

"I know." His expression was unreadable. "We must be especially careful now."

Zechs fell silent. Treize might not want to say it, but Zechs was not a fool. They had to be more than careful. They had to live the truth of the lie they'd told.


	14. Separation

**Warning: **_This chapter contains some sexual content. It is also the last one._

-o-o-o-

Chapter 14: **Separation**

General Oswald regarded Treize with a worried frown. "The situation is escalating uncomfortably, Lord Kushranada. I can't order my staff not to file a grievance over this incident. Commander Curzon had friends."

"I understand, General." It was not lost on Treize that the general used his title rather than his rank to address him. "But if I were you, I would make a note of the people who protest the most loudly and perhaps do a little investigating. While I do believe Curzon was acting alone, for the most part, I would not be surprised to find he did have a little help. You may have other traitors to deal with."

"That is an unpleasant thought." General Oswald turned to gaze out the window of Treize's office. "But if Curzon was acting out of hatred toward you and Zechs Merquise…"

Treize brushed his hair back from his face. "That may have been his initial motivation, but Curzon harbored a deep animosity toward all nobles and the Romafeller Foundation. You know as well as I do how pervasive Romafeller's influence is in the Alliance, but it was probably not something Curzon would have been aware of until after he received his commission. But he knew that Romafeller and its members had a lot of clout at the Academy. Imagine how disillusioning it must have been for him to discover it was not just at the Academy." Treize smiled humorlessly. "Perhaps it was that and not his hatred of me or Zechs that turned him into a traitor."

"Perhaps," the general murmured. He turned to face Treize again. "But that still leaves us with our present problem. You killed a fellow officer under questionable circumstances. Even if we later find irrefutable evidence that Curzon was a traitor, without such evidence to produce right now, your act feels uncomfortably close to murder."

Treize chuckled softly. "It would hardly be the first time, General, for myself or an officer in the Alliance."

The general frowned again. "But that does not alleviate the present situation."

"I know."

General Oswald cleared his throat and looked away. "There is an additional area of concern."

"Oh?"

"Zechs Merquise."

"What about him?"

The general looked decidedly uncomfortable. "While I personally accept your statement that you have not been conducting an illicit affair with Lieutenant Merquise, I know for a fact that there are others who are all too ready to believe that you are and that you murdered Curzon to cover it up."

"If Curzon's statement was true that everyone at Luxembourg is aware of my so-called affair, killing him would hardly cover it up." Treize waved a hand dismissively. "I'll tell you the truth, General: I killed Curzon because he was a traitor. His accusation merely gave me an excuse."

General Oswald sighed. "I suspected as much. But that doesn't change anything about what people are saying. There is a lot of speculation. People are questioning why you had him transferred into your unit in the first place."

Treize snorted. "He's the best pilot in the Alliance Military, a superior tactician and a skilled diplomat. He's also one of the smartest people I know. The real question is why everyone else wasn't trying to get him."

"Lieutenant Merquise has… history…" the general began uncomfortably.

"And those who can't see past that are nothing more than fools."

General Oswald nodded, but his unhappy expression didn't change. "As long as Zechs Merquise is on your staff, you will be under constant scrutiny."

"What do you want me to do, General?" Treize growled.

"I know how things are in the Alliance Military, Lord Kushranada. With your position in Romafeller, you could do nothing and probably get away with it." The general fixed Treize with a stern glare. "However, that may play right into the rebels' hands if it causes divisions within the Alliance. And I fear it will."

Treize moved behind his desk and settled into his chair. "I hear you, General Oswald," he said quietly. He leaned forward and rested his chin on one hand. "I knew when I made the decision to kill Curzon it would probably end my military career. But understand one thing: I shall retain control of the Oz Organization whether I'm an officer in the Alliance or not."

"But, Lord Kushranada…"

"I am adamant on this point, General." Treize held General Oswald's eyes until the man nodded. "I am loyal to the Earth Sphere, but I no longer place my complete trust in the Alliance or its military forces. General Catalonia was lost because of treason, don't forget."

"But it is most improper for a civilian to directly command military forces!"

"Then don't let my command become public knowledge. I can keep a low profile." Treize leaned forward and smiled coldly. "You need me, General Oswald, and you know it. General Catalonia's only mistake was not giving the Specials a free enough hand. If they are commanded independently from the normal chain of command, they will be utterly free to respond to any situation. I will defeat the rebels, General. Count on it."

Treize and the general stared at each other for several minutes without speaking. Finally, General Oswald dropped his gaze and blew out his breath in a long sigh. "Very well, Lord Kushranada, I will recommend that you be allowed to resign without disciplinary action. However, before then, you need to openly put distance between yourself and Zechs Merquise to leave no doubt about the nature of your relationship with him."

Treize inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I will consider your advice very seriously, General Oswald."

-o-o-o-o-o-

During the weeks following Curzon's death, Treize assisted in the transition of the new command at Pancevo. He left Zechs in Luxembourg, as General Oswald had advised, but the separation left him miserable. He called Zechs every night, doing his best to sound upbeat, but Zechs could still hear the heartache in his voice.

"How is Commander Fenadine working out?" Zechs asked.

"She'll do," Treize replied. "She doesn't have a sense of humor, but Pancevo needs someone with a no-nonsense attitude right now."

"When do you think you'll be coming back?"

"Next week, I hope. How are things going there? Who's angling to replace me as Base Commander?" Treize spoke lightly, but Zechs heard the frustration in his tone.

"No one wants to replace you, Treize."

"Senior Command can't leave me in charge of Luxembourg, Zechs."

Zechs didn't answer.

"You know they can't," Treize continued with a sigh. "Remember, many of the senior officers are not part of Romafeller and are as resentful of Romafeller's influence as Curzon was. It will be better for everyone if I step down. In fact, it will leave me free to act as I see fit as commander of Oz."

"I understand all that," Zechs said quietly. "But those of us serving at Luxembourg are still loyal to you."

"I know and I'm grateful. That's why all of you are members of Oz."

"I wish I could see you," Zechs whispered.

"I'll be back in Luxembourg next week. We can talk about what happens next then."

"Very well." Zechs let the conversation end without saying anything else. He knew he sounded as heartbroken as Treize did.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize accepted the necessity of his new role in the Oz Organization, but the responsibility wiped all the joy and spontaneity out of his life. Everywhere he turned, people needed him to take command; issue orders; make decisions. He did what was needed because he was good at it and because he believed he was the best person to be taking charge, especially of Oz. But the unwavering loyalty of so many innocent soldiers unnerved him. These people were ready to die for him. All he had to do was ask. They loved him. They trusted him. And he had a responsibility to honor that trust. He just didn't see why he had to give up his own happiness to do it. Giving up his commission and command of Luxembourg didn't really bother him. The thought of giving up Zechs crushed him.

Une sighed in exasperation as she watched him from the other side of his desk. She had returned with him from Pancevo earlier that week, along with the rest of the unit. She had been much happier with Zechs in Luxembourg while Treize was in Pancevo, but now that they were back together, she had become cold and hard again.

"As long as Count Zechs is with you, people will continue to ask questions," she said flatly. "You need to reassign him, for his sake as well as your own."

Treize glared at her. "General Oswald has already given me that advice, Lady Une. I am considering it."

"You need to do more than consider it." Une took off her glasses and leaned over the desk. In her eyes, Treize could see the old Une he remembered; the kind, compassionate woman whose opinion he trusted. "Whatever you may feel for him, Treize, it cannot be about just the two of you anymore. General Catalonia is dead. Everything depends on you now. You must step forward and lead us. We need you."

Treize didn't want to listen to her, but he knew she was right. He was being selfish. But knowing that didn't stop his heart from breaking. He would have to give Zechs up and the thought nearly brought him to tears. He wanted to tell her how much he loved Zechs, how much he needed him, but he couldn't. He could never tell anyone, because it could be used against him. Even Une, in her dark and angry persona, might use it against him. And if he was to be an effective leader, he could have no weaknesses, no Achilles heel, to drag him down. He met her steady gaze and nodded.

"Of course, Une, you're right." He rose, standing ramrod straight with his shoulders back and his head up. "I'll be resigning my commission and recommending that Cole Vernon be placed in command of this unit. But before I resign, I'll transfer Zechs Merquise to the Victoria Base Academy to train cadets in the new Aries mobile suits."

"And what are my orders, Sir?" Une slipped her glasses back onto her face and came to attention.

"I'm placing you in charge of the Specials. In that position, you will continue to report to me as commander of the Oz Organization." He smiled, but it was a sad smile. "You have always backed me up when I needed it most, Lady Une. I'm going to need that now. We'll both have bloody hands before the end."

-o-o-o-o-o-

Treize sat for a long time at the small desk in his room, staring at nothing. He should be working, but he couldn't concentrate. He wanted to see Zechs. It was all he could think about. He'd sent for him, but he wasn't sure if Zechs would come. Zechs knew what was happening.

It was very late when Zechs finally knocked on his door. Treize knew it was him from the way he knocked.

"Come in, Zechs."

Zechs entered. As he closed and bolted the door behind him, Treize noticed something tucked under his left arm.

"What's that?"

"It's a mask." Zechs held it out so Treize could see it. It was as much a helmet as a mask, designed to cover his head as well as the upper part of his face. "I bought it a few days ago." He looked unhappy. "Someone called me by my old name the other day. That hasn't happened for a long time." He studied the mask thoughtfully. "I decided that if people couldn't see my face, maybe they would finally forget my ancestry, as I've tried to."

"Do you really want to forget?"

"I can't be a soldier and a Peacecraft, Treize."

Treize nodded without answering. His path wasn't the only difficult one. He looked up at Zechs and couldn't think of anything else to say. "Will you stay?"

"I shouldn't."

"I know, but I need to be with you right now."

Zechs crossed the room to Treize and put the mask on the desk. Then he put his hands on Treize's shoulders and leaned over to kiss him deeply. "This is the last time, isn't it?"

"Let's not talk about it," Treize whispered back. He stood up and wrapped his arms tightly around Zechs' waist. "Let's pretend instead this will be our first night together. Let's pretend that we've never held each other before." He kissed Zechs deeply.

"Ummm…" Zechs moaned softly. He pulled his mouth away and licked Treize's left ear. "I've been saving myself for you," he whispered. "From the moment we met, I've never wanted anyone inside me but you."

Treize nuzzled his neck. "From the moment we met, I haven't been able to think of anyone but you." He began to undress Zechs slowly. "You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen. And you are even more beautiful naked." Treize stepped back and drew in a deep breath. "I would not regret blindness, if this were the last sight I ever beheld."

Zechs smiled and held out his hand. "Please don't keep me waiting."

"Never."

Treize embraced him and bore Zechs down onto the bed. "Never in my life have I wanted anything as much as I want you, Zechs Merquise," Treize whispered. "I treasure every moment I've spent with you."

Zechs reached down and undid Treize's trousers. "I have a confession: I already prepared myself." He smiled, a little sadly. "I was hoping we could be together tonight. So… How shall I say this? There's no waiting for anyone ready to dive right in."

Treize smiled back. "I think I might need to take you up on that."

Zechs spread his legs and hooked his heels on the back of Treize's knees. "Please take your time. I want to savor this."

Treize shifted forward and thrust himself into Zechs with a slow steady motion. Zechs rolled his head back and closed his eyes with a deep moan. Treize buried his face against Zechs' neck and began to move inside him. Zechs moved with him, thrusting his hips up against Treize firmly. Treize tangled his fingers into Zechs' silken hair, sliding the silver strands between his thumb and fingers lovingly.

"Look at me, Zechs," Treize murmured.

Zechs opened his eyes and pressed his mouth to Treize's. Treize kissed back while staring into the beautiful azure depths of Zechs' eyes. They made love like that, staring intently into each other's eyes and bringing each other to climax again and again. But they both knew it would be a mistake for Zechs to spend the night. They made love until the early morning hours and then, exhausted and fulfilled, they rose and dressed.

Treize looked out the small window above the desk, lifting his eyes to the stars. "War is coming and loyalties will change. Know that I will always love you, Zechs, with every breath I draw, including my last."

"I will always stand by you, Treize."

Treize shook his head. "No, don't promise me that. I don't want you to become like Une. Promise me that you will always do as your heart tells you, and if you find that you must take a different path from mine, don't hesitate." He turned to look at Zechs. How would he ever find the courage to end their affair? Even after so short a time together, how could he bear the emptiness of his life without Zechs at his side; in his arms; in his bed? He drank in the sight of the handsome Count: the beautiful face, the strong muscular body, the shimmering cascade of his silver hair. He could remember every curve, every hollow, the taste and the scent of him. There was no denying the necessity of what he must do, but he hated it. He hated duty. He hated honor. He wanted to throw it all away and spend the rest of his life making love with Zechs.

But he couldn't do that. He had not been raised to put his love and his passion above the honor of his name and his station in life. But for a moment, he closed his eyes and imagined it. He let a lifetime of happiness flow behind his closed eyelids. Then he opened his eyes and met Zechs' soft blue gaze.

"We cannot be lovers any more, Zechs," he said softly. "It is time for me to remember my place in society, in Romafeller. I have to take up the duty for which I was raised and guide Romafeller and Oz into the future, and I cannot do that when I care more about you than the future of the world."

Zechs nodded. There were tears in his eyes. "I know." He looked forlornly around the room for a moment and then spotted the mask he had brought with him. Slowly, he moved to pick it up. He stared at it, clasped between hands that trembled slightly, and drew in a long breath. "I respect your decision, Treize, and I accept it. I understand why you must do this." He turned the mask slowly in his hands. "My face is the last thing that ties me to the Peacecraft family. Although I have not used that name for a long time, it is time for me to let it go completely. As long as I wear this mask, I will dedicate my life to the service of Oz." He started to lift the mask over his head, but then he stopped and looked at Treize. "Will you kiss me one last time?"

Treize didn't hesitate. He immediately stepped close and wrapped Zechs in his arms. He pressed his mouth to Zechs', his tongue stroking lovingly between Zechs' lips and against his tongue in a kiss that was more familiar than breathing. They held each other for a long time, reluctant to let go, reluctant to end that final embrace. But at last Treize drew his mouth away and looked into Zechs' eyes.

"I will never say these words to you again," he whispered, "but let them echo in your heart for the rest of time: I love you, Zechs Merquise."

"I love you, Treize Kushranada," Zechs whispered back. He stepped away from Treize's embrace and lifted the mask over his head. It settled into place, hiding his face from Treize's intent gaze. Then he saluted smartly, turned on his heel and marched from the room.

As the door closed behind him, Treize felt something warm on his cheek. Lifting his hand to brush it away, he discovered that he was weeping. He stared in amazement at the moisture on his fingertips. He had only wept twice in his adult life and both times had been because of Zechs Merquise. He bowed his head and let the tears fall.

"I give my life to the future of the world, Milliardo Peacecraft. I give my death to you."

-o- The End –o-

_The very first time I saw Gundam Wing, I was sure there was something going on between Treize and Zechs. When I watched it a second time, I saw dozens of little hints that convinced me they had had a relationship in the past. After a long conversation one night with my daughter, we decided I should write this story that we just knew had to have happened prior to the beginning of Gundam Wing. But we knew all along the ending would be terribly sad, because Treize and Zechs are not together during the TV series. I think this is the only story I have written with a sad ending. I still cry when I read it because they are so real to me. Rest in peace, Treize; Zechs still loves you._


End file.
